MARE  INTERNUM 

(Med/ferranesnJ 


CARNUNTUM 


A  N  N  O  NIA, 


C  A   ft  p 


THE  ROMAN.  EMPIRE 

THE    SECOND    CENTURY   A.  D. 
b  Show  77? e  Wanderings  Of 
ANDIVIUS    HEDULIO 


'      V 


0    C    S    I    A 


T  H  R  A  el  A 


PONT  US  EUXINUS 


^ 


ALEXANDRIA 


AOT)IVIUS  EEDULIO 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

EL  SUPREMO: 

A   Romance  of   the   Great   Dictator 
of  Paraguay 

THE 

UNWILLING  VESTAL: 
A  Story  of  Rome  Under  the  Casarg 

THE 

SONG  OF  THE  SIRENS 
and  Other  Stories 

E.  P.  BUTTON  &  COMPANY 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Adventures  of  a  Roman  Noble- 
man in  the  Days  of  the  Empire 


BY 

EDWABD  LUCAS  WHITE 

AUTHOB  OF  "EL  SUPBEMO,"  ETC. 


Mirum  atque  inscitum  somniavi  somnium. 

— PLAUTU6 


NEW  YORK 

E.  P.  BUTTON  6f  COMPANY 

681  FIFTH  AVENUE 


COPYRIGHT,   1921, 

BY  E.  P.  BUTTON  &  COMPANY 
All  Rights  Reserved 

First  printing    October,  19 tl 

Second  "          "         1921 

Third  «          "         1921 

Fourth  "          "         1921 

Fifth  "          January,  1929 

Sixth  "  January,  1923 

Seventh  <*         .... August,  192+ 

Eighth  "         October,  1925 

Ninth        "       '. . . August,  1926 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


?s 

zsvs 
H^ry; 

A? 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON 

WHO,  IN  BEADING  FICTION,  LOVED 

"THE  OPEN  BOAD  AND  THE  BKIGHT  EYES  OF  DANCES" 


CONTENTS 


BOOK  I.    DISASTER 

HEDULIO'S   PREFACE     ........     •     .  1 

CHAPTER 

I.    AN  UNEXPECTED  GUEST    .......  5 

II.    A  COUNTRY  DINNER    .......     .  20 

III.  TENANTRY  AND  SLAVERY    .......  36 

IV.  HOROSCOPES  AND  MARVELS     ......  54 

V.    ENCOUNTERS      ..........  70 

VI.    A  RATHER  BAD  DAY    ........  88 

VTI.    A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY      .......  106 

VIII.    THE  WATER  GARDEN    ........  125 

IX.    THE  SQUALL  OF  THE  LEOPARD    .....  138 


BOOK  II.    DISAPPEARANCE 

X.    ESCAPE    ............  155 

XI.    HIDING    ............  170 

XII.    SUCCOUR      ...........  182 

XIH.    THE  LONELY  HUT      .     .......  193 

XIV.    WINTER  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS      .....  209 

XV.    THE  HUNT       ..........  224 

XVI.    THE  CAVE    ...........  236 

XVII.    THE  FESTIVAL        .........  251 

XVIII.    GALLOPING   .....    ...    .    .....  266 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PACE 

XIX.    MARSEILLES  AND  TIBER  WHARF 279 

XX.    CHARIOTEERING 294 

XXI.    MISADVENTURES 310 

BOOK  HI.    DIVERSITIES 

XXII.    THE  MUTINEERS 325 

XXIII.  THE  EMPEROR 337 

XXIV.  THE  MASSACRE .  350 

XXV.    THE  OPEN  COUNTRY 363 

XXVI.    THE  OUTLAWS .376 

XXVII.    THE  POINT  OF  VIEW 391 

XXVIII.    MOONLIGHT       . 403 

BOOK  IV.    DISSIMULATION'S 

XXIX.    FELIX 419 

XXX.    FESTUS 432 

XXXI.    RECOGNITION 449 

XXXII.    PHORBAS 465 

XXXni.    IMPOSTURE y    .     .  477 

XXXIV.  PALUS  THE  INCOMPARABLE     ......  495 

XXXV.    MURMEX .     .  508 

XXXVI.    ANXIETY 524 

XXXVII.    ACCUSATION •:    ....  540 

XXXVIII.  TORTURE      .......     v    .     .    -.  554 

XXXIX.     THE  TULLIANUM -.-    .     .     ,  569 

XL.  SEVERUS       .     .     .     .     .    ®    .     .     ...  579 

EPILOGUE  .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     ....     .  591 

NOTES 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

HEDULIO'S   PKEFACE 

(PILEFATIO    HEDULIONIS) 

BY  no  means  absurd,  it  seems  to  me,  but  altogether  rea- 
sonable, is  the  impulse  which  urges  me  to  write  out  a 
detailed  narrative  of  my  years  of  adversity  and  of  the  vicis- 
situdes which  befell  me  during  that  wretched  period  of  my 
life.  My  adventures,  in  themselves,  were  worthy  of  record 
and  my  memories  of  them  and  of  the  men  and  women  encoun- 
tered in  them  are  clear  and  vivid.  It  is  natural  that  I  should 
wish  to  set  them  down  for  the  edification  of  my  posterity  and 
of  any  who  may  chance  to  read  them. 

For  my  experience  has  been,  I  believe,  unique.  Since  the 
establishment  of  the  Principate  in  our  Republic  many  men, 
even  an  uncountable  horde  of  men,  have  incurred  Imperial 
displeasure.  Of  these  not  a  few,  after  banishment  from 
Italy  or  relegation  to  guarded  islands  or  to  some  distant 
frontier  outpost,  have  survived  the  Prince  who  exiled  them 
and  have,  by  the  favor  of  his  successors,  been  permitted  to 
return  to  Borne  and  to  the  enjoyment  of  their  property.  But 
I  believe  that  no  Eoman  nobleman  implicated,  justly  or 
unjustly,  in  any  conspiracy  against  the  life  of  his  Sovereign, 
ever  escaped  the  extreme  penalty  of  death.  Some,  by  their 
own  hands,  forestalled  the  arrival  of  the  Imperial  emissaries, 
others  perished  by  the  weapons  or  implements  of  those  desig- 
nated to  abolish  the  enemies  of  the  Prince.  Except  myself 
not  one  ever  survived  t»  regain  Imperial  favor  in  a  later 
reign;  except  myself  not  one  ever  recovered  his  patrimony 

1 


S  HEDULIO'S  PREFACE 

and  enjoyed,  to  a  green  old  age,  the  income,  position  and 
privileges  to  which  he  had  been  born.  If  such  a  thing  ever 
occurred,  certainly  there  is  no  record  of  any  other  nobleman 
domiciled  in  Italy,  except  myself,  having  grasped  at  the 
slender  chance  of  escape  afforded  by  the  device  of  arranging 
that  he  be  supposed  dead,  of  disguising  himself,  of  vanish- 
ing among  the  populace,  of  passing  himself  off  for  a  man  of 
the  people.  I  not  only  was  led,  by  my  clever  slave,  to 
attempt  this  histrionic  feat,  but  I  succeeded  in  the  face  of 
unimaginable  difficulties.  An  experience  so  notably  with- 
out a  parallel  seems  peculiarly  deserving  of  such  a  record  as 
follows. 


BOOK  I 
DISASTER 


CHAPTER  I 

AN  UNEXPECTED  GUEST 

WHEN  I  look  back  on  the  beginning  of  my  adventures, 
I  can  set  the  very  day  and  hour  when  the  tranquil 
course  of  my  early  life  came  to  an  end,  when  the  comfortable 
commonplaces  of  my  previous  existence  altered,  when  the 
placid  current  of  my  former  life  broke  suddenly  and  without 
warning  into  the  tumultuous  rapids  which  hurried  me  from 
surprise  to  surprise  and  from  peril  to  peril.  The  last  hour 
of  my  serene  youth  was  about  the  ninth  of  the  day,  nearly 
midafternoon,  on  the  Nones  of  June  in  the  937th  year  of 
the  city,*  while  Cossonius  Marullus  and  Papirius  Aelian  were 
consuls,  when  Commodus  had  already  been  four  years  Em- 
peror. 

It  was  not  that  misfortune  then  suddenly  overwhelmed  me, 
not  that,  sharp  as  a  blown  trumpet,  I  heard  the  voice  of 
doom  blare  over  me;  not  that,  as  one  sees  the  upper  rim  of 
the  sun  vanish  beneath  the  waves  where  the  skyline  meets 
the  sea,  and  knows  day  ended  and  night  begun,  not  thus  that 
I  recognized  the  end  of  my  prosperity  and  the  beginning  of 
my  disasters.  That  moment  came  later,  as  I  shall  record. 
It  was  rather  that;  as,  in  certain  states  of  the  weather,  long 
before  sunset  one  may  be  suddenly  aware  that  afternoon  is 
past  and  evening  approaches ;  so,  though  I  had  no  intimation 
at  the  moment,  yet,  reviewing  my  memories  I  realize  that  at 
that  instant  began  the  chain  of  trivial  circumstances  which 
led  up  to  my  calamity  and  enmeshed  me  in  ruin. 

And  just  here  I  cannot  but  remark,  what  I  have  often 
meditated  over,  how  trifling,  how  apparently  insignificant, 
are  the  circumstances  which  determine  the  felicity  or  misery 

184.    See  Note  C. 


6  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  human  beings.  I  was  possessed  of  an  ample  estate ;  I  was, 
in  most  difficult  conditions,  in  unruffled  amity  with  all  my 
neighbors,  on  both  sides  of  the  great  feud,  except  only  my 
hereditary  enemy;  I  was  high  in  the  favor  of  the  Emperor; 
I  was  in  a  fair  way  to  marry  the  youngest,  the  most  lovely 
and  the  richest  widow  in  Eome.  In  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye  I  was  cast  down  from  the  pinnacle  of  good  fortune  into 
an  abyss  of  adversity.  And  upon  what  did  my  catastrophe 
hinge  ?  Upon  the  whims  of  a  friend  and  upon  one  oversight 
of  my  secretary.  I  should  have  had  no  story  to  tell,  I  should 
have  been  a  man  continuously  happy,  affluent  and  at  ease, 
early  married  and  passing  from  one  high  office  to  the  next 
higher  in  an  uninterrupted  progress  of  success,  had  it  not 
entered  the  head  of  my  capricious  crony  to  pay  me  an  un- 
expected and  unannounced  visit,  had  he  not  arrived  precisely 
at  the  time  at  which  he  came,  had  he  not  encountered  just 
the  persons  he  met  just  where  he  did  meet  them,  had  not 
his  prankishness  hatched  in  him  the  vagary  which  led  him 
to  give  quizzical  replies  to  their  questions ;  had  I  not,  carried 
away  by  my  elation  at  my  prosperity  and  fine  prospects,  been 
a  trifle  too  indulgent  to  my  tenantry. 

Even  after,  as  a  result,  the  nexus  of  circumstances  had 
been  woven  about  me  and  after  I  found  myself  embroiled 
with  both  my  powerful  neighbors,  I  should  have  escaped  any 
evil  consequences  had  not  my  secretary,  than  whom  no  mart 
ever  was  more  loyal  to  his  master  or  more  wary  and  inclusive 
in  his  foresight  upon  every  conceivable  eventuality,  failed  to 
forecast  the  possible  effects  of  a  minor  omission. 

When  my  story  begins  I  had  already  had  one  small  adven- 
ture, nothing  much  out  of  the  ordinary.  Agathemer  and  I 
were  returning  from  my  final  inspection  of  my  estate.  As 
we  rode  past  one  of  the  farmsteads  we  heard  cries  for  help. 
Reining  up  and  turning  into  the  barn-yard,  we  found  the 
tenant  himself  being  attacked  by  his  bull.  I  dismounted 
and  diverted  the  animal's  attention.  After  the  beast  was 
securely  penned  up  I  was  riding  homewards  more  than  a 
little  tired,  rumpled  and  heated  and  very  eager  for  a  bath. 

As  we  approached  my  villa  we  saw  a  runner  coming  up 


AN  UNEXPECTED  GUEST  7 

the  road,  a  big  Nubian  in  a  fantastic  livery  which  when  he 
reached  us  turned  to  be  entirely  unknown  to  me.  My  grooms 
were  just  taking  our  horses.  The  grinning  black,  not  a  bit 
out  of  breath  after  his  long  run,  saluted  and  addressed  me. 

"My  master  has  sent  me  ahead  to  say  he  is  coming  to 
visit  you." 

"Who  is  your  master?"  I  asked. 

"My  master/'  he  said,,  still  grinning  goodnaturedly,  "en- 
joined me  not  to  tell  you  who  he  is." 

I  turned  to  Agathemer. 

"What  do  you  make  of  this?"  I  asked. 

"There  is  but  one  man  in  Italy,"  he  replied,  "who  is 
likely  to  send  you  such  a  message,  and  his  name  is  on  the 
tip  of  your  tongue." 

"And  on  the  tip  of  yours,  Fll  wager,"  said  I.  "Both  to- 
gether now!" 

I  raised  my  finger  and  counted. 

"One!     Two!     Three!" 

Both  together  we  uttered: 

"Opsitius  Tanno!" 

There  was  no  variation  in  the  Nubian's  non-committal 
grin.  We  went  up  the  steps  and  stood  by  the  balustrade  of 
the  terrace,  where  it  commanded  a  good  view  of  the  valley. 
We  could  see  a  party  approaching,  a  mounted  intendant  in 
advance,  a  litter,  extra  bearers  and  runners  and  several  bag- 
gage mules. 

"Nobody  but  Tanno  would  send  me  such  a  message,"  I 
said  to  Agathemer. 

"No  one  else,"  he  agreed,  "but  I  should  be  no  more  sur- 
prised to  see  the  Emperor  himself  in  this  part  of  the  world." 

"One  of  his  wild  whims,"  I  conjectured.  "Nothing  else 
would  tear  him  away  from  the  city." 

I  meditated. 

"Our  arrangements  for  dinner,"  I  continued,  "fall  in  very 
well  with  his  coming.  I  suppose  the  guest-rooms  are  all 
ready,  but  you  had  best  go  see  to  that,  and  meanwhile  turn 
this  fellow  over  to  Ofatulenus." 

Agathemer  nodded.     The  pleasantest  of  his  many  good 


8  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

qualities  was  that  whatever  he  might  be  asked  to  do  he  car- 
ried out  without  comment  or  objection.  Nothing  was  too 
big  or  too  small  for  him.  If  he  were  asked  to  arrange  for 
an  interview  with  the  Emperor  or  to  attend  to  the  creasing 
of  a  toga  he  was  equally  painstaking  and  obliging.  He  went 
off,  followed  by  the  negro.  I  waited  on  the  terrace  for 
•Tanno.  There  was  no  use  attempting  to  bathe  until  after 
his  arrival.  Presently  a  cheerful  halloo  from  the  litter 
reached  my  ears.  It  was  Tanno  to  a  certainty.  Nobody  else 
of  my  acquaintance  had  voice  enough  to  make  himself  heard 
at  that  distance  or  was  sufficiently  lacking  in  dignity  to  emit 
a  yawp  in  that  fashion.  When  his  escort  came  near  enough 
I  could  see  that  all  his  bearers  wore  the  same  livery  as  his 
irunner.  Tanno  was  forever  changing  his  liveries  and  each 
fresh  invention  he  managed  to  make  more  fantastic  than  the 
last.  There  were  eight  bearers  to  the  litter  and  some  twenty 
Beliefs.  Travelling  long  distances  by  litter,  begun  as  a 
necessity  to  such  invalids  as  my  uncle,  had  become  a  fashion 
through  the  extreme  coxcombery  of  wealthy  fops  and  the 
practice  of  the  young  Emperor.  Tanno's  litter  had  all  its 
panels  slid  back,  and  the  curtains  were  not  drawn.  He  was 
sitting  almost  erect,  propped  up  by  countless  down  cushions. 
He  greeted  me  with  many  waves  of  the  hand  and  a  smile  as 
genial  as  his  halloo.  I  went  down  a  little  from  the  terrace 
to  meet  him  and  walked  a  few  paces  beside  the  litter.  He 
rolled  out  and  embraced  me  cordially,  appearing  as  glad  to 
see  me  as  I  was  delighted  to  see  him. 

"I  do  not  know,"  I  said,  "whether  I  am  more  surprised  or 
pleased  to  see  you.  To  what  do  I  owe  my  good  fortune  ?" 

"We  simply  cannot  get  on  without  you,"  he  answered,  "and 
I  am  going  to  take  you  back  to  Rome  with  me.  How  soon 
can  you  start?" 

"You  came  at  the  nick  of  time,"  said  I,  "I  had  expected 
to  go  down  three  days  from  now,  but  I  found  out  this  after- 
noon that  I  can  get  away  tomorrow  morning." 

"Praise  be  to  Hercules  and  all  the  gods,"  said  Tanno.  "I 
love  the  country  frantically,  especially  when  I  am  in  the 
city.  I  love  it  so  that  three  days  on  the  road  is  enough 


AN  UNEXPECTED  GUEST  9 

country  for  me.  I  have  been  bored  to  death  and  do  so  want 
a  bath." 

"The  bath  is  all  hot  and  ready/7  said  I,  "and  the  slaves 
waiting.  But  I  am  giving  a  dinner  this  evening  and  nearly 
all  my  neighbors  are  coming.  The  diners  are  almost  due 
to  arrive,  I  need  a  bath  and  want  one,,  but  I  meant  to  wait 
for  my  guests." 

"Well"  he  said,  "you  have  one  guest  here  already  and 
that's  enough.  Let's  bathe  once,  at  once,  and  you  can  bathe 
again  when  your  Sabine  clodhoppers  get  here.  Life  is  too 
short  for  a  man  to  get  enough  baths,  anyhow.  Two  a  day 
is  never  enough  for  me.  A  pretext  for  two  in  an  afternoon 
is  always  welcome.  Come  on,  let's  bathe  quick,  so  as  to  have 
it  over  with  before  the  first  of  the  other  guests  arrives,  then 
we  can  get  a  breath  of  fresh  air  and  be  as  keen  for  the  second 
bath  as  for  the  first." 

Conversation  with  Tanno  consisted  mostly  in  listening  and 
interjecting  questions.  He  wallowed  in  the  cold  tank  like 
a  porpoise;  caught  me  and  ducked  me  until  I  yelled  for 
mercy,  and  while  I  was  trying  to  get  my  breath,  half  drowned 
me  with  the  water  he  splashed  over  me  with  both  hands; 
talking  incessantly,  except  when  his  head  was  under  water. 
When  we  lay  down  on  the  divan  in  the  warm  room  he  rat- 
tled on. 

"You  needn't  tell  me,"  he  said,  "that  your  runners  haven't 
taken  letters  to  Vedia,  but  she  is  supposed  not  to  hear  from 
you,  so,  as  I  told  of  two  of  your  letters  to  me,  I  have,  in  a 
way  been  held  responsible  for  you  and  have  been  pelted  with 
inquiries.  Nemestronia  loves  you  like  a  grandson,  and,  if 
you  ask  me,  I  say  Vedia  is  in  love  with  you  out  and  out.  As 
I  had  heard  from  you  and  nobody  else  had,  I  began  to  feel 
as  if  I  ought  to  look  after  you.  Everything  was  abominably 
humdrum  and  I  deceived  myself  into  thinking  I  should  enjoy 
the  smell  of  green  fields.  I  certainly  should  have  turned 
back  less  than  half  way  if  I  had  been  concerned  with  any- 
body else  than  you;  and  when  we  turned  off  the  Via  Salaria 
into  your  country  byroad  I  cursed  you  and  your  neighbors 
and  all  Sabinum.  The  most  deserted  stretch  of  road  I  ever 


10  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

travelled  in  all  my  life.  I  saw  only  six  human  beings  before 
I  reached  your  villa  and  I  had  heard  that  this  valley  was 
populous  and  busy.  I  slept  last  night  at  Vicus  Novus  and 
I  started  this  morning,  bright  and  early.  When  we  turned 
up  the  road  below  Villa  Satronia  I  was  never  more  disgusted 
in  my  life.  My  men  are  perfectly  matched  in  height,  weight, 
pace  and  action  and  any  eight  of  the  lot  will  carry  me  at  full 
speed  as  smoothly  as  a  pleasure-barge.  But  they  could  make 
nothing  of  that  road.  It  is  all  washed,  guttered,  dusty  in 
the  open  places,  puddly  where  trees  hang  over  it  and  full  of 
loose  stones  on  top  everywhere. 

"I  was  so  horribly  jolted  that  I  called  the  bearers  to  stop. 
I  made  Dromanus  get  off  his  horse  and  give  me  his  poncho 
and  his  big  felt  hat.  Then  I  got  on  his  horse  and  told  him 
to  get  into  the  litter.  He  was  embarrassed. 

"  'Pooh/  said  I,  'you  cannot  walk  and  we  should  look  like 
fools  with  an  empty  litter.  Get  in  and  be  jounced!  Draw 
the  curtains;  if  we  meet  anybody  I'll  give  you  an  impressive 
title/  He  rolled  in  among  the  cushions,  looking  as  foolish 
as  possible.  His  horse  ambled  perfectly  and  I  felt  more  com- 
fortable. I  went  on  ahead.  We  had  not  met  anybody  since 
we  turned  into  the  crossroads;  about  half  a  mile  beyond  the 
place  where  I  had  left  my  litter  I  came  around  one  of  the 
innumerable  curves  a  little  ahead  of  the  procession  and  saw 
two  men  approaching  on  foot.  When  they  came  abreast  of 
me  they  saluted  me  politely  and  the  taller,  a  black-haired, 
dark-faced  fellow  with  a  broad  jaw,  inquired  (in  the  tone  he 
would  have  used  to  Dromanus)  whose  litter  I  was  escorting. 
I  was  rather  tickled  that  they  took  me  for  my  own  intendant. 
I  judged  we  must  be  approaching  the  entrance  to  Villa 
Satronia  and  that  they  were  people  from  there.  I  assumed 
an  exaggerated  imitation  of  Dromanus'  most  grandiloquent 
manner  and  in  his  orotund  unctuous  delivery  I  declaimed: 

"  'My  master  is  Numerius  Vedius  Vindex.  He  is  asleep/ 
(They  swallowed  that  awful  lie,  they  did  not  realize  how 
bad  their  own  road  was.)  'We  are  on  our  way  to  Villa 
Vedia/ 

"They  looked  sour  enough  at  that,  I  promise  you,  and  I 


AN  UNEXPECTED  GUEST  11 

made  out  that  they  were  Satronians  for  certain.  The  two 
fellows  exchanged  a  glance,  thanked  me  politely  and  went  on. 

"I  knew  the  entrance  to  the  Satronian  estate  by  the  six 
big  chestnut-trees,  you  had  often  described  them  to  me;  and 
I  knew  the  next  private  road  by  the  single  huge  plane  tree. 
But  when  we  crossed  the  second  bridge,  the  little  one,  I  went 
over  that  round  hill  and  did  not  recognize  the  foot  of  your 
road  when  we  came  to  it.  I  was  for  going  on.  Dromanus 
called  from  behind  the  curtains  of  the  litter: 

"  'This  is  Hedulio's  road :  turn  to  the  right/ 

"I  was  stubborn  and  sang  back  at  him : 

"'Hedulio  has  told  me  all  about  this  country.  This  is 
not  his  land.  It  is  further  on  at  the  next  brook/ 

"We  went  on  over  the  next  bridge  past  the  entrance  to 
the  south,  and  I  felt  more  and  more  that  Dromanus  was 
right  and  I  was  wrong,  and  yet  I  grew  more  and  more  stub- 
born. When  we  passed  the  sixth  bridge  and  I  saw  the  stream 
getting  bigger  and  turning  to  the  left,  I  knew  I  was  wrong. 
At  the  crossroads  I  realized  we  were  at  the  entrance  to  Villa 
Vedia,  but  I  would  not  give  up,  I  took  the  left-hand  turn 
and  went  down  stream.  Beyond  the  first  bend  in  the  road 
we  found  ourselves  approaching  a  long,  straggling,  one-street 
village  of  tall,  narrow  stone  houses  along  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  little  river.  By  the  road,  just  before  the  first  house, 
watching  five  goats,  was  a  boy,  a  boy  with  a  crooked  twitch- 
ing face. 

"'The  village  idiot/  I  put  in.  'They  can  never  let  him 
out  of  sight  and  he  is  always  beside  the  road/ 

"He  was  not  too  big  an  idiot  to  tell  us  it  was  Vediamnum." 

"He  was  enough  of  an  idiot,"  I  said,  "to  forget  you,  and 
your  question  the  next  minute.  The  boy  is  almost  a  beast." 

"He  had  enough  sense  to  tell  us  the  name  of  the  village," 
Tanno  retorted,  "and  I  had  to  acknowledge  to  Dromanus 
he  was  right,  and  so  we  turned  round.  When  we  were 
hardly  more  than  out  of  sight  of  Vediamnum  we  met  another 
party,  a  respectable-looking  man,  much  like  a  farm  bailiff, 
on  horseback,  and  two  slaves  afoot.  I  had  not  seen  them 
before,  and  they,  apparently,  had  not  previously  seen  us. 


12  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

The  rider  asked,  very  decently,  whose  was  the  party.  I 
treated  them  as  I  had  the  others. 

"'My  master  is  asleep/  I  said  again.  (It  was  not  such 
an  improbable  lie  that  time,  for  the  road  by  Vediamnum  is 
pretty  good.)  'I  have  the  honor  to  escort  Mamercus  Satro- 
nius  Sabinus/ 

"I  had  guessed  that  they  were  Vedians  and  I  was  sure  of 
it  when  I  said  that.  The  slaves  scowled  and  the  bailiff 
saluted  very  stiffly. 

"Just  after  we  turned  into  your  road,  I  stopped  the  escort 
and  told  Dromanus  to  take  his  horse.  He  had  relieved  me 
of  his  hat  and  poncho  and  I  had  one  hand  on  the  litter, 
ready  to  climb  in,  when  I  heard  hoofs  behind  us  on  the  road. 
I  looked  back.  There  was  a  rider  on  a  beautiful  bay  mare 
coming  up  at  a  smartish  lope.  Just  as  he  came  abreast  of 
us  she  shied  at  the  litter  and  reared  and  began  to  prance 
about.  I  give  you  my  word  I  never  had  such  a  fright  in  my 
life.  If  you  can  imagine  Commodus  in  an  old  weather- 
beaten,  broad-brimmed  hat  of  soft,  undyed  felt  and  a  mean, 
cheap,  shaggy  poncho  of  undyed  wool,  and  worse  than  the 
hat,  that  was  the  man  on  the  mare.  He  was  left-handed, 
too." 

"How  did  you  know  that?"  I  asked. 

"By  the  way  he  handled  his  reins,  of  course,"  said  Tanno. 

"The  mare  was  a  magnificent  beast,  vicious  as  a  fury,  with 
a  mouth  as  hard  as  an  eighty-pound  tunny.  He  sat  her  like 
Castor  himself.  She  pirouetted  back  and  forth  across  the 
road  and  my  fellows  scampered  from  under  her  hoofs.  The 
mare  was  such  a  beauty  I  could  not  take  my  eyes  off  her." 

"Yes,"  I  put  in,  "Ducconius  has  a  splendid  stud." 

"Was  he  Ducconius?"  Tanno  exclaimed.  "Your  adver- 
sary in  your  old  law-suit?" 

"His  son  Marcus,  from  your  description,"  I  amplified. 
"He  is  proprietor  of  the  property  now.  His  father  died  last 
year." 

"Well,"  Tanno  went  on.  "You  know  that  look  Commodus 
has,  like  a  healthy,  well-fed  country  proprietor  with  no 
education,  no  ideas  and  no  thoughts  beyond  crops  and  deer- 


AN  UNEXPECTED  GUEST  13 

hunting  and  boar-hunting,  with  a  vacuous,  unintelligent 
stare?  Well,  that  was  just  the  way  he  looked." 

"That  is  the  way  young  Ducconius  looks,"  I  rejoined.  "He 
ought  to.  You  have  described  exactly  what  he  is." 

"Does  he  know  he  looks  like  the  Emperor?"  Tanno  asked, 
"and  how  does  it  happen?" 

"Pure  coincidence,"  said  I.  "The  family  have  been  reared 
in  these  hills  for  generations,  none  of  them  ever  went  to 
Eome.  Eeate  is  the  end  of  the  world  for  them." 

"Well,"  Tanno  commented,  "he  might  be  Commodus'  twin 
brother,  by  his  looks.  He'll  be  a  head  shorter,  in  a  hurry, 
if  Commodus  ever  hears  of  him.  He  is  the  duplicate  of  him. 
I  stood  in  the  road,  staring  after  him,  and  forgot  to  climb 
into  the  litter.  When  I  woke  up  and  climbed  in,  my  lads 
swung  up  your  road  at  a  great  pace,  and  here  I  am.  If  I 
had  had  any  sense  I'd  have  been  here  not  much  after  noon. 
As  it  is  I  have  wasted  most  of  the  day." 

When  we  went  into  the  hot  room,  I  asked  him, 

"Where  did  you  get  your  new  bearers?  They  look  to  me 
like  Nemestronia's.  What  have  you  done  with  your  Saxons  ?" 

"Nemestronia  has  them,"  he  explained,  "and  my  Nubians 
were  hers.  The  dear  old  lady  took  a  fancy  to  my  Saxons 
and  teased  and  wheedled  until  I  agreed  to  exchange.  No- 
body ever  can  refuse  anything  to  Nemestronia.  I  argued  a 
good  deal.  I  told  her  that  even  if  she  is  the  youngest-look- 
ing old  lady  in  Eome  it  would  never  do  in  the  world  to  set 
herself  in  contrast  to  such  blue  eyes  and  pink  skins  and 
such  yellow  hair:  that  Nubians  were  much  more  appropriate 
and  that  nothing  could  be  more  trying  than  Saxons,  even 
for  a  bride.  She  told  me  I  mustn't  make  fun  of  her  old 
dge  and  decrepitude.  She  said  that  the  Saxons  had  such 
cheerful,  bright  faces  and  looked  such  infantile  giants  that 
she  really  must  have  them.  So  I  let  her  have  her  way.  The 
Nubians  stand  the  heat  better  and  the  Saxons  were  almost 
too  showy/' 

Even  while  the  attendant  was  thumping  and  kneading  him 
on  the  slab,  Tanno  went  on  talking  a  cheerful  monologue  of 
frothy  gossip.  I  asked  him  about  the  Emperor. 


14  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"As  fretful  as  possible,"  lie  said.  "The  trouble  with.  Corn- 
modus  is  that  he  is  growing  tired  of  exhibiting  himself  as 
an  athlete  to  invited  audiences  in  the  Palace.  He  is  per- 
fectly frantic  to  show  himself  off  in  the  Circus  or  in  the 
Amphitheatre.  He  oscillates  between  the  determination  to 
disregard  convention  and  to  do  as  he  likes  and  virtuous 
resolutions,  when  he  has  been  given  a  good  talking-to  by  his 
old  councillors  and  has  made  up  his  mind  to  behave  properly. 
He  will  break  out  yet  into  public  exhibitions  of  himself.  He 
is  really  pathetically  unhappy  over  his  hard  lot  and  posi- 
tively wails  about  the  amount  of  his  time  which  is  taken  up 
with  State  business  and  about  the  pitifully  small  opportunity 
he  has  for  training  and  exercise." 

My  bath  was  broken  off,  sooner  than  I  had  intended,  by 
the  appearance  of  one  of  the  kitchen-boys,  who  asked  for 
me  so  tragically  and  so  urgently  and  was  so  positive  that 
no  one  else  would  suffice,  that  I  went  down  into  the  kitchen 
in  a  towering  rage  at  being  interrupted  and  wondering  why 
on  earth  I  could  be  needed.  I  found  Ofatulena,  wife  of  the 
Villa-farm  bailiff,  in  violent  altercation  with  my  head-cook. 
He  asserted  that  she  had  no  business  in  his  kitchen  and  must 
get  out.  Her  contention  was  that  she,  as  bailiff's  wife, 
was  above  all  slaves  whatever,  that  she  knew  her  place  and 
that  when  a  distinguished  stranger  visited  the  Villa  she 
would  show  him  what  old-fashioned  Sabine  cooking  was 
like,  so  she  would.  The  cook  had  had,  through  Agathemer, 
my  directions  for  a  formal  dinner  and  he  declared  that  one 
more  guest  made  no  difference  and  that  his  dinner  was  good 
enough  for  anybody.  I  compromised  by  telling  him  to  con- 
tinue as  he  had  planned,  but  to  allow  Ofatulena  to  prepare 
one  dish  for  each  course  and  to  add  to  each  one  of  her  own. 
I  was  rather  pleased  at  her  intrusion,  for  there  was  no  better 
cook  in  Sabinum,  and  anything  old-fashioned  was  sure  to 
be  a  novelty  to  Tanno. 

I  found  Tanno  on  the  terrace,  basking  comfortably  in  the 
late  sunshine  and  gazing  down  the  valley. 

"What  is  that  big  hill  away  off  to  the  East?"  he  asked. 


AN  UNEXPECTED  GUEST  15 

"That  is  on  the  Aemilian  property/'  I  answered.  "Villa 
Aemilia  has  a  direct  outlet  to  the  Via  Valeria  and  the 
Aemilian  Estate  does  not  belong  to  this  neighborhood,  at  all. 
It  runs  back  to  the  Tolenus  and  mostly  drains  and  slopes 
that  way.  Huge  as  the  Vedian  estates  are,  and  though  the 
Satronian  estates  are  still  huger,  yet  the  Aemilian  estates 
are  so  vast  that  they  are  larger  than  both  the  Vedian  and 
Satronian  lands  together.  The  Aemilian  land  has  much 
woodland  along  its  western  borders  and  blankets  and  almost 
encloses  the  Vedian  and  Satronian  estates  and  all  of  us  in 
between.  The  road  you  came  up  is  a  sort  of  detour  east  of 
the  Salarian  way.  The  Satronians  and  Vedians  and  we  in 
between  all  use  it,  turning  to  the  right  towards  Eeate  and 
to  the  left  towards  Kome." 

Tanno  blinked  at  the  soft,  hazy  view  and  swept  his  arm 
southward. 

"That  is  all  Satronian  over  there?"  he  asked. 

"All,"  I  eaid,  "as  far  as  the  Aemilian  domain." 

"Which  way,"  he  queried,  "is  Villa  Vedia?" 

"To  see  it  from  here,"  I  eaid,  "you  would  have  to  look 
straight  through  this  house  and  half  a  dozen  hills.  It  is 
almost  due  north." 

"Vedians  to  the  northward,"  he  continued,  "Satronians  to 
the  southward,  and  just  you  and  Ducconius  sandwiched  in 
between,  clapper-clawing  each  other/' 

"No,  quite  otherwise!"  I  retorted.  "My  property  does 
not  touch  Vedian  or  Satronian  land  anywhere,  and  Duc- 
conius has  barely  half  a  mile  of  boundary  line  along  the 
Satronian  domain.  There  are  six  other  estates,  the  largest 
half  as  big  as  mine,  the  smallest  not  much  bigger  than  the 
largest  of  my  tenant-farms;  three  are  on  one  side  of  me 
and  three  on  the  other.  You  will  meet  the  proprietois  at 
dinner,  as  I  told  you.  They  should  be  here  now." 

"Goggling  country  bumpkins?"  he  conjectured. 

"Not  a  bit  like  that,"  I  countered,  "though  you  would 
scarcely  call  them  cultured.  There  is  no  art  connoisseur 
among  them.  They  care  little  for  books,  but  they  are  edu- 


16  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

eated  gentlemen  and  can  talk  of  other  subjects  besides  vine- 
growing  and  cattle  breeding.  They  have  all  been  to  Rome, 
the  Ducconians  are  the  only  stay-at-home,  stick-in-the-mud 
family  in  this  valley.  You  will  find  all  your  fellow-diners 
keenly  interested  in  anything  you  can  tell  them  about  the 
latest  fashions  and  the  latest  gossip  from  Rome.  They  think 
and  talk  of  the  doings  of  Rome's  fast  set  much  more  than 
you  do." 

"They  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  feud?"  he  queried. 

"Three  of  them,"  I  explained,  "are  on  the  Vedian  side, 
three  on  the  Satronian  side,  though  they  are  always  polite 
to  each  other.  But  it  is  a  frigid  politeness  and  I  was 
anticipating  the  dinner  tonight  as  a  frightful  trial.  I  fancy 
your  presence  will  ensure  its  passing  off  comfortably.  Ente- 
dius  Hirnio  will  be  here,  too.  His  estates  are  beyond  Vediam- 
num  and  he  has  never  taken  sides  in  the  feud  any  more  than 
Ducconius  or  my  family." 

"Do  you  ever  see  Ducconius?"  he  asked. 

"Oh,  never,"  said  I,  "we  take  care  never  to  recognize  each 
other,  I  assure  you.  We  cannot  help  meeting  occasionally, 
but  I  never  see  him  and  he  never  sees  me.  We  meet  mostly 
on  the  road.  The  lower  part  of  this  valley-road  where  he 
overtook  you  is  as  much  his  right-of-way  as  mine,  up  to 
where  the  road  forks  and  is  crossed  by  the  Bran  Brook.  You 
can  see  the  bridge  from  here." 

Tanno  shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand. 

"That  is  all  his  land  over  there,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Bran  Brook,"  I  continued.  "Further  up  the  valley  the 
brook  has  three  feeders.  The  Flour  rises  back  of  my  land 
on  the  Vedian  estate.  The  Chaff  brook  is  all  mine  and  the 
Bran  rises  in  his  woodlands." 

"Will  he  appeal  the  case  or  reopen  it  now  your  uncle  is 
dead?"  Tanno  queried. 

"There  is  no  possibility  of  appeal,"  I  said,  "or  of  reopen- 
ing. The  case  is  closed  and  I  have  won  it  forever.  And 
all  thanks  to  Agathemer.  But  for  Agathemer,  Ducconius 
would  have  won  the  final  hearing  as  he  had  won  all  the 
intermediate  appeals.  His  defeat  after  so  many  victories 


AN  UNEXPECTED  GUEST  IT 

has  embittered  him  more  than  if  we  had  won  every  time 
and  he  hates  me  worse  than  ever. 

"The  only  unpleasant  feature  for  me  is  that  the  tenant 
of  the  farm  so  long  in  dispute  cannot  be  ousted.  He  was 
heart  and  soul  with  Ducconius  all  through  the  period  of 
the  suit.  His  daughter  is  married  to  one  of  Ducconius' 
tenants  and  his  younger  son  has  taken  one  of  Ducconius' 
farms  since  three  of  his  tenant-families  died  off  year  before 
last  with  the  plague.  This  makes  old  Chryseros  Philargyrus 
by  no  means  a  pleasant  tenant  for  me." 

"Old  Love-Gold  Love-Silver/'  Tanno  commented,  "is  that 
a  nickname  or  is  it  really  his  name?" 

"Really  his  name/'  I  affirmed.  "His  mother  was  so  ex- 
travagant and  wasteful  that  his  father  named  him  Chryseros 
Philargyrus  as  a  sort  of  antidote  incantation,  in  the  hope 
that  it  might  prove  a  good  omen  of  his  disposition  and  pre- 
dispose him  to  parsimony.  He  certainly  has  turned  out 
sufficiently  close-fisted  to  justify  the  choice." 

"I  don't  understand  your  talk  about  tenantry,"  said  Tanno. 
"Do  you  mean  you  cannot  change  a  bailiff  on  a  farm  which 
you  have  won  incontestably  on  final  appeal  in  a  suit  at  law  ?" 

"He  is  no  bailiff,"  I  answered  him.  "He  is  a  free  man 
just  as  much  as  you  or  I.  Sabinum  is  not  like  Latium  or 
Etruria  or  Campania,  where  the  free  tenantry  has  vanished, 
or  like  Bruttium  or  Spain,  where  there  never  was  any  free 
tenantry.  The  free  tenantry  have  survived  in  Sabinum 
more  completely  than  in  any  part  of  the  world.  I  have  only 
one  bailiff  here  and  he  manages  only  the  villa-farm  with  a 
very  moderate  gang  of  slaves  under  him.  I  do  not  own 
any  more  slaves  on  my  -estate.  The  slaves  on  the  farms  are 
all  owned  by  my  tenants  and  there  are  eight  farms  besides 
the  villa-farm;  counting  Chryseros,  there  are  nine  tenant 
farmers.  Each  owns  slaves  enough  to  work  his  farms.  All 
the  estates  about  here  are  managed  in  that  way:  Aemilian, 
Vedian,  Satronian,  Entedian  and  all  the  rest,  big  or  little. 
We  are  rather  proud  of  the  system  and  very  proud  of  our 
tenants." 

"It  must  be  a  fine  system,"  Tanno  sneered.    "I  have  been 


18  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

wondering  what  kept  you  away  from  Kome,  I  suppose  it  has 
been  the  beautifully  smooth  and  marvellously  easy  working 
of  your  farm-tenant  system." 

"It  works  just  as  well  as  one  slave-gang  under  one  bailiff, 
if  not  better,"  I  retorted,  hotly. 

"Oh,  yes,"  Tanno  drawled,  "it  works  just  as  well  as  one 
slave-gang  under  one  bailiff.  That  is  why  you  have  not 
had  to  inspect  your  estates  in  Bruttium,  why  you  have  not 
visited  Bruttium  at  all,  why  you  have  not  so  much  as  thought 
of  visiting  Bruttium,  whereas  you  have  had  to  spend  more 
than  two  months  here  in  these  fascinating  wilds.  You  can 
trust  your  tenantry  so  completely  that  you  only  have  to  spend 
two  months  making  sure  they  are  not  idling  or  cheating  you : 
you  can  trust  your  Bruttian  bailiff  so  poorly  that  you  let 
him  alone  absolutely." 

I  was  more  than  a  little  nettled  by  his  ironical  mood. 

"I  spent  three  months  of  the  year  out  of  the  past  four 
years  in  Bruttium,"  I  argued.  "I  know  every  inch  of  the 
ranches  perfectly.  My  uncle  never  allowed  me  to  become 
acquainted  with  anything  up  here.  I  was  his  representative 
and  factor  in  Bruttium.  When  I  visited  him  here  I  was 
no  more  than  a  guest  and  I  have  had  to  learn  all  the  work- 
ings of  the  estate  from  the  beginning." 

"Nonsense !"  Tanno  rejoined.  "You  know  each  when  you 
see  it.  If  the  tenants  pay  their  rent  on  time,  what  do  you 
need  to  know  about  how  they  run  their  farms  ?" 

"They  pay  cash  and  on  time,"  I  explained,  "but  the 
cash  represents  half  the  yield  and  each  manages  the  sale 
of  his  own  produce.  It  is  necessary  for  the  proprietor  to 
understand  the  capacities  of  each  farm." 

"And  you  are  proud  of  a  tenantry,"  he  sneered,  "so  honest 
that  you  cannot  trust  them  not  to  swindle  you  out  of  your 
just  dues  and  on  whom  you  have  to  spy  all  the  time  to  get 
what  you  should  get  from  them." 

"You  do  not  understand,"  I  declared. 

"Eight  you  are,"  said  Tanno.  "I  do  not  and  I  do  not 
want  to." 

"Just  wait  a  moment  and  do  not  interrupt,"  I  urged. 


AN  UNEXPECTED  GUEST  19 

"Yon  do  not  understand,  there  is  no  use  in  being  a  pro- 
prietor if  you  do  not  know  more  than  your  tenantry.  There 
are  a  thousand,  there  are  ten  thousand  details  in  which 
the  management  of  the  farms  may  be  made  more  profitable 
or  less  profitable,  and  all  these  details  have  to  be  watched 
and  must  be  well  in  the  proprietor's  mind." 

"Could  you  not  get  some  kind  of  overseeing  general  estate 
bailiff  to  do  all  that  for  you?"  he  suggested. 

"I  can,"  I  said,  "and  I'm  going  to  get  one.  My  uncle's 
overseer  died  of  the  plague  and  my  uncle  was  too  old  and 
too  set  in  his  ways  to  get  another,  so  he  acted  as  his  own 
overseer  for  the  last  four  years  of  his  life.  I  must  know  of 
my  own  knowledge  just  how  the  place  ought  to  be  managed 
or  I  can  never  detect  and  forestall  unnecessary  and  ruinous 
friction  and  trouble  between  my  tenantry  and  any  new  super- 
intending overseer." 

"I  do  not  know/'  Tanno  ruminated,  "which  to  admire 
more,  the  beauties  of  the  Sabine  tenant  system  or  the  won- 
ders of  the  Sabine  character.  Any  other  man  I  know  would 
have  stayed  in  Rome  and  attended  strictly  to  his  courtship 
and  let  his  estates  take  care  of  themselves.  You  are  supposed 
to  be  violently  in  love  and  you  certainly  behave  like  it:  yet 
you  leave  Rome  and  Vedia  and  shut  yourself  up  among 
these  damp  cold  hills  and  inspect  and  reinspect  and  make 
a  final  inspection,  and  delay  for  one  last  peep  and  linger 
for  one  final  glance,  where  any  other  man  would  ignore 
the  property  and  be  with  the  widow." 

"I  do  not  see  anything  extraordinary  about  it,"  I  dis- 
claimed. "A  man  needs  an  income,  a  lover  most  of  all." 

"Income!"  he  snorted.  "Isn't  your  income  from  your 
Bruttian  estates  ten  times  the  gross  return  from  the  prop- 
erty?" 

"More  than  ten  times/7  I  admitted. 

"Why  worry  about  it  at  all  then?"  he  demanded.  "Isn't 
your  Bruttian  income  enough?" 

"No  income  is  enough,"  I  declared,  "if  a  man  has  a 
chance  to  get  in  more." 

"Of  course,"  he  beamed,  "you  do  not  see  anything  ex- 


20  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

traordinary  in  'your  petting  this  property.  A  Sabine  would 
use  up  a  year  to  get  in  a  sesterce  from  a  frog  pond.  You 
are  a  Sabine.  All  Sabines  worship  the  Almighty  Sesterce. 
But  to  anybody  not  a  Sabine  it  is  amazing  to  see  a  lover 
postponing  prayers  to  Lord  Cupid  until  he  has  finished  the 
last  detail  of  his  ceremonial  duties  to  Chief  Cash,  Greatest 
and  Best" 


CHAPTER  II 

A  COUNTRY  DINNER 

JUST  then  Tanno  caught  sight  of  a  horseman  approach* 
ing  up  the  valley.  I  looked  where  he  pointed. 

"That  will  be  Entedius  Hirnio/'  I  said.  "Of  my  dinner 
guests  he  lives  furthest  away  and  so  he  always  comes  in 
first  to  any  festivity." 

"How  far  beyond  Vediamnum  does  he  live?"  Tanno  en- 
quired. 

"On  the  other  side  of  the  Vedian  lands/'  I  explained. 
"His  property  is  over  the  divide  towards  the  Tolenus,  in 
between  Villa  Vedia  and  Villa  Aemilia." 

Entedius  it  was,  as  I  made  sure,  when  he  drew  nearer, 
by  his  magnificent  black  mare.  He  covered  the  last  hundred 
paces  at  a  furious  gallop,  pulled  up  his  snorting  mare 
abruptly,  and  dismounted  jauntily.  Plainly,  at  first  sight, 
he  and  Tanno  liked  each  other.  When  I  had  introduced 
them  they  looked  each  other  up  and  down  appraisingly, 
Entedius  appearing  to  relish  Tanno's  swarthy  vigor,  warm 
coloring  and  exuberant  health  as  much  as  did  Tanno  his 
hard-muscled  leanness  and  weather-beaten  complexion. 

"Are  you  any  relation  to  Entedia  Jucunda?"  Tanno 
queried. 

"Very  distant,"  Hirnio  replied,  "very  distant  indeed:  too 
far  for  us  to  call  each  other  'cousin/  When  I  am  in  Borne 
I  always  call  on  her;  once  in  a  while  she  invites  me  to  one 
of  her  very  big  dinners;  otherwise  we  never  see  each  other." 


A  COUNTRY  DINNER  21 

Almost  before  they  had  exchanged  greetings  Mallius  Vulso 
rounded  the  house  from  the  east  and  then  Neponius  Pom- 
plio  from  the  west;  after  he  had  been  presented,  the  two 
other  Satronians,  Bultius  Seclator  and  Juventius  Muso,  can- 
tered up,  followed  closely  by  Fisevius  Eusco  and  Lisius 
Naepor,  both  adherents  of  the  Yedian  side  of  the  feud. 

As  soon  as  the  stable-boys  had  led  off  their  horses  we 
started  bathwards,  delayed  a  moment  by  the  arrival  of  a 
slave  of  Entedius,  on  a  mule,  leading  another  heavily  laden 
with  two  packs.  We  made  a  quick  bath,  with  no  loitering, 
and  at  once  went  in  to  dinner.  My  uncle  had  been  to  the 
last  degree  conservative  and  old-fashioned.  He  would  have 
nothing  to  do  with  any  new  inventions,  save  his  own.  So 
he  would  not  hear  of  any  alterations  in  the  furnishings  of 
his  villa,  except  those  suggested  by  his  ideas  of  sanitation. 
Otherwise  it  had  been  kept  just  as  my  grandfather  had  left 
it  to  him.  In  particular  uncle  could  not  be  brought  to  like 
the  newly  popular  C-shaped  dining  sofas,  which  all  Rome 
and  all  fashionables  all  over  Italy  and  the  provinces  had 
so  acclaimed  and  so  promptly  adopted  along  with  circular- 
topped  dining-tables.  My  triclinium  still  held  grandfather's 
square-topped  table  and  the  three  square  sofas  about  it. 
Uncle's  will,  in  fact,  had  stipulated  that  no  furnishings  of 
the  villa  must  be  altered  within  five  years  of  the  date  of  his 
death.  As  I  had  to  adjust  my  formal  dinners  to  the  old 
style,  I  was  not  only  delighted  to  have  Tanno  with  us  for 
himself  and  for  his  jollity,  but  also  because  he  just  made 
up  the  nine  diners  demanded  by  ancient  convention. 

Agathemer  had  asked  me,  as  a  special  favor,  to  leave  the 
decoration  of  the  triclinium  entirely  to  him,  and  I  had  agreed, 
when  he  fairly  begged  me,  not  to  enter  the  triclinium  or  even 
pass  its  door,  after  my  noonday  siesta.  When  I  did  enter 
it  with  my  guests  I  was  dazzled.  The  sun  had  just  set  and 
the  northwestern  sky  was  all  a  blaze  of  golden  brightness, 
streaked  with  long  pink  and  rosy  streamers  of  cloud,  from 
which  the  evening  light,  neither  glaring  nor  dim,  flooded 
through  the  big  northwestern  windows.  The  spacious  room 
was  a  bower  of  bloom.  Great  armfuls  of  flowers  hid  the 


32  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

capitals  of  the  pilasters,  others  their  bases ;  garlands — heavy, 
even  corpulent  garlands — were  looped  from  pilaster  to  pilas- 
ter; every  vase  was  filled  with  flowers,  the  little  vases  on  the 
brackets,  the  big  ones  alternating  with  the  statues  in  the 
niches,  the  huge  floor-vases  in  the  corners:  the  table,  the 
sofas,  the  floor,  all  were  strewn  with  smaller  blossoms,  tiny 
flowers  or  fresh  petals  of  roses.  The  garlands  for  our  heads, 
which  were  offered  us  heaped  on  a  tray,  were  to  the  last 
degree  exquisite.  I  adjusted  mine  as  if  in  a  dream.  I  was 
dazed.  I  knew  that  the  flowers  could  not  have  been  supplied 
by  our  gardens;  I  could  not  conjecture  whence  they  came. 

Agathemer,  bowing  and  grinning,  stood  in  the  inner  door- 
way. My  eyes  questioned  his. 

"I  have  a  note  here,"  he  said,  "which  I  was  enjoined  not 
to  hand  you  until  you  had  lain  down  to  dinner." 

The  two  second  assistant  waiter  boys  took  our  shoes  and 
we  disposed  ourselves  on  the  sofas,  Tanno  in  the  place  of 
honor,  I  rejoicing  again  that  his  presence  has  solved,  accept- 
ably to  all  the  rest,  the  otherwise  insoluble  problem  of  to 
whom  I  should  accord  that  location. 

Agathemer  handed  me  the  note.  At  sight  of  it  I  recog- 
nized the  handwriting  of  Vedius  Caspo.  Of  course,  like 
my  uncle  before  me,  I  always  invited  to  any  of  my  formal 
entertainments  all  my  neighbors  except  Ducconius  Furfur, 
our  enemy,  and  the  only  neighbor  with  whom  we  were  not 
on  good  terms.  Equally,  of  course,  Vedius  Caspo  at  Villa 
Vedia  and  Satronius  Dromo  at  Villa  Satronia,  regularly 
found  some  transparent  pretext  for  declining  my  invitation, 
each  fearing  that,  if  he  accepted,  the  other  might  by  some 
prank  of  the  gods  of  chance  accept  also,  and  they  might 
encounter  each  other. 

The  thread  was  too  strong  for  me  to  break.  I  tore  it  out 
of  the  seal,  and,  asking  my  guests'  indulgence,  I  opened  the 
note.  It  read: 

Vedius  Caspo  to  his  good  friend  Andivius  Hedulio.  If 
you  are  well  I  am  well  also.  I  was  writing  at  Villa  Vedia 
on  the  day  before  the  Nones  of  June.  I  had  written  you 
some  days  before  and  explained  my  inability  to  avail  myself 


A  COUNTRY  DINNER  23 

of  your  kind  invitation  to  dinner  on  the  Nones.  I  purposed 
sending  you,  with  this,  what  flowers  my  gardens  afford  to- 
wards decorating  your  triclinium  for  your  feast.  I  beg  that 
you  accept  these  as  a  token  of  my  good  will.  When  you 
reach  Rome  I  beg  that,  at  your  leisure  and  convenience,  you 
transmit  my  best  wishes  to  my  kinswoman,  Vedia  Venusta. 

"Farewell." 

This  note  staggered  me  more  than  the  sight  of  the  flowers. 
It  was  amazing  that  Vedius  should  have  taken  the  trouble 
to  be  so  gracious  to  me;  that  he  should  go  out  of  his  way 
to  write  me  the  vague  and  veiled,  but  unequivocal  intimation 
of  his  approval  of  my  suit  for  Vedia  implied  in  the  last 
sentences  of  his  letter  was  astounding.  Vedia  had  a  very 
large  property  inherited  from  her  father,  from  two  aunts 
and  from  others  of  the  Vedian  clan.  The  whole  clan  was 
certain  to  be  very  jealous  of  her  choice  of  a  second  husband. 
I  had  anticipated  their  united  opposition  to  my  suit.  To  be 
assured  of  his  approbation  by  the  beloved  brother  of  the 
head  of  the  clan  made  me  certain  that  I  should  meet  with 
no  opposition  at  all. 

My  delight  must  have  irradiated  my  face.  Tanno,  the 
irresistible,  at  once  urged  me  to  read  the  note  aloud,  saying: 

"Don't  be  a  hog.  Don't  keep  all  those  good  things  to  your- 
self. Let  us  have  a  share  of  the  tid-bits.  Eead  it  out  to 
all  of  us." 

I  yielded. 

Of  course  the  three  Satronians  looked  sour.  But  Tanno 
knew  how  to  smooth  out  any  embarrassing  situation.  He 
beamed  at  me  and  fairly  bubbled  with  glee. 

"I  bet  on  you/'  he  said.  "The  widow  will  be  yours  at 
this  rate.  But  don't  show  her  that  note  till  you  two  are 
married." 

Before  anybody  else  could  speak  he  went  on : 

"I'm  famished.  So  are  we  all.  Flowers  are  fine  to  look 
at  and  to  smell,  but  give  me  food.  Let's  get  at  our  dinner." 

We  did.  We  fell  upon  the  relishes,  disposing  of  them  with 
hardly  the  interchange  of  a  word. 

When  the  boys  cleared  the  table  I  observed  with  some 


34  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

pride  that  Tanno  eyed  with  an  expression  of  approval  the 
table  cloth  and  the  big  silver  tray  which  they  set  on  it,  laden 
with  the  second  course. 

"You  are,"  he  said,  "pretty  well  equipped  for  house-keep- 
ing in  these  remote  wilds,  Caius.  Your  table-cloth  is  far 
above  the  average  for  town  tables  and  your  tray  is  magnifi- 
cent/' 

That  started  a  round  of  talk  on  city  usages,  town  etiquette 
and  court  gossip.  Tanno,  very  naturally,  did  much  of  the 
talking,  the  rest  mostly  questioning  and  listening.  He  spoke 
at  length  of  the  Emperor,  but  of  course  more  guardedly 
than  while  talking  to  me  alone. 

When  the  tray  with  the  first  course  was  removed  and  while 
that  with  the  second  course  was  being  brought  in  the  talk 
ebbed.  Tanno  gave  it  a  turn,  which  at  first  seemed  likely  to 
prove  unfortunate,  by  saying: 

"Now  I've  told  you  the  latest  news  from  Rome  and  the 
current  gossip  and  the  popular  fads.  Turn  about  is  fair 
play.  It  is  time  for  some  of  you  to  tell  me  what  just  now 
most  interests  this  country-side.  My  idea  of  country  life  is 
that  it  is  about  as  exciting  as  the  winter  sleep  of  a  dormouse 
or  of  a  hibernating  bear;  but  for  all  I  know,  it  may  be  as 
lively  in  its  way  as  life  in  town ;  you  may  be  agog  over  some 
occurrence  as  important  to  you  as  a  change  of  Palace  Prefects 
would  be  at  Rome.  Speak  out  somebody,  if  there  is  any- 
thing worth  telling." 

"Whether  it  be  worth  telling  I  do  not  know/'  spoke  up 
Bultius  Seclator,  "but  the  country-side  hereabouts  is  agog 
just  now  over  a  recent  case  of  abduction." 

(I  shuddered:  here  was  the  feud  to  the  fore  in  spite  of 
everything.  And  I  shuddered  yet  more  as  I  saw  set  and 
harden  the  features  of  Vulso,  Rusco  and  Naepor.) 

"To  make  clear  to  you,"  he  went  on,  "I'll  have  to  explain 
the  circumstances.  You  undoubtedly  know  both  Satronius 
Dromo  of  this  valley  and  his  father,  Satronius  Satro,  at 
Rome.  Satro's  father,  old  Satronius  Satronianus,  among  the 
horde  of  slaves  set  free  by  his  will,  liberated  a  number  of 
artisans  of  various  kinds,  who,  scattered  about  among  the 


A  COUNTRY  DINNER  25 

neighboring  towns  and  villages,  had  lived  like  free  men,  in 
dwellings  belonging  to  him  or  in  rented  abodes,  plying  their 
trades  and  returning  to  their  master  a  better  income  than 
he  could  have  derived  from  their  activities  in  any  other  way, 
since  one  of  his  assistant  overseers  saw  to  it  that  they  paid 
in,  unfailingly  and  promptly,  the  stipulated  percentage  of 
their  gains.  Among  these  was  a  cobbler  named  Turpio,  at 
Trebula.  He  was  so  expert,  so  deft,  so  quick  and  so  ingrati- 
ating to  customers,  that  the  overseer  insisted  on  his  paying 
a  percentage  of  his  earnings  larger  than  that  paid  by  any 
other  similar  slave.  Now  cobbling,  at  the  best  of  it,  is  not 
an  occupation  at  which  one  would  fancy  that  anyone  would 
become  wealthy.  Yet  Turpio  grew  to  be  very  well  off.  He 
early  amassed  savings  enough  to  pay  for  his  own  freedom, 
but  his  master  would  not  agree  to  that,  so  Turpio  bought 
the  house  in  which  he  lived  and  his  workshop.  In  the  course 
of  time  he  accumulated  possessions  of  no  mean  value  and 
owned  several  slaves,  whom  he  employed  as  assistant  cobblers. 
By  his  master's  will  all  that  he  had  amassed  became  his 
property,  of  course,  when  he  was  freed.  He  was,  as  he  is, 
very  popular  in  Trebula  and  among  all  the  country-folk 
round  about  who  visit  Trebula.  He  is  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  him  and  by  all  Satronians  of  every  degree. 

"Now  Turpio,  some  years  ago,  partly  on  account  of  his 
kind-heartedness,  partly  since  he  could  never  resist  a  bargain 
and  he  got  her  for  almost  nothing,  partly,  perhaps  because 
of  his  canny  foresight,  bought  a  wretched,  puny,  sickly,  little 
runt  of  a  four-year-old  slave-girl,  a  mere  rack  of  bones 
covered  with  yellow  skin.  She  continued  sickly  for  some 
years,  then,  when  she  was  more  than  half  grown,  the  fresh 
air  of  Trebula,  its  good  water,  the  kindness  with  which  she 
was  treated,  the  generous  fare  accorded  her,  all  working  to- 
gether, suddenly  began  to  show  results.  She  plumped  out, 
grew  tall,  vigorous,  active,  graceful  and  charming.  She 
also  acquired  notable  skill  at  weaving.  His  intimates  con- 
gratulated Turpio  on  his  luck  or  prescience  and  foretold  for 
him  notable  profits  from  her  sale.  Turpio  averred  that  he 
and  his  spouse  were  so  fond  of  the  girl  that  he  was  unwill- 


36  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

ing  to  part  with  her  except  to  a  master  or  mistress  whom  she 
took  to  and  who  seemed  likely  to  be  kind  to  her.  He  refused 
several  handsome  offers  for  her.  She  became  notable  in 
Trebula  as  its  most  beautiful  inhabitant  and  all  who  knew 
her  wished  her  well. 

"Not  long  ago,  Vedius  Molo  of  Concordia,  not  a  bad 
specimen  of  a  noble  lad,  I  will  say,  came  to  Villa  Vedia.  He 
roamed  about  the  country  as  a  young  nobleman  will.  By 
some  chance  he  caught  sight  of  Xantha,  for  that  is  her  name, 
and,  of  course,  like  many  another,  fell  in  love  with  her. 
He  promptly  offered  to  buy  her.  But  Xantha  did  not  like 
him  at  all  and  Turpio,  as  always,  consulted  her  before  decid- 
ing to  sell  her.  Opposition  inflamed  Molo  and  he  bid  Turpio 
up  till  his  business  instincts  all  but  overcame  his  doting 
affection  for  Xantha.  But  Xantha  liked  Molo  less  and  less 
the  more  she  saw  of  him.  She  begged  Turpio  not  to  sell 
her  to  Molo.  He  was  obdurate,  although  Molo  bid  on  up 
till  he  was  offering  a  really  fabulous  price,  though  one  well 
within  his  means.  He  could  not  credit  that  Turpio  would 
not  yield.  When  he  was  convinced  that  he  could  not  wheedle 
him  he  lost  his  temper.  Turpio  told  him  that  the  negotia- 
tions were  at  an  end  and  warned  him  not  to  return.  Molo 
went  off  in  a  rage. 

"Two  nights  later  Turpio's  house  was  broken  into  by  a 
considerable  body  of  men,  armed,  certainly  with  clubs  or 
staffs.  Turpio  and  his  household  defended  themselves  vig- 
orously and  were  all  severely  mishandled  in  the  affray,  Turpio 
most  severely  of  all.  They  were  overcome,  even  overwhelmed, 
and,  before  their  neighbors  could  come  to  their  assistance 
or  the  townsmen  in  general  rally  to  help,  Xantha  was  car- 
ried off  by  the  intruders,  who,  beating  the  night  watchman 
insensible,  escaped  through  the  postern  of  the  north  gate. 

"This  highhanded  outrage  has  greatly  incensed  all  Tre- 
bula and  the  entire  neighborhood.  The  night  was  very  dark, 
neither  Turpio  nor  any  of  his  household  nor  yet  the  watch- 
man at  the  postern  claims  to  have  recognized  any  of  the 
abductors.  Yet  all  impute  the  outrage  to  Vedius  Molo. 
Every  magistrate  is  alert  to  punish  the  delinquents  and  to 


A  COUNTRY  DINNER  2T 

return  Xantha  to  her  master.  Yet  she  has  totally  vanished. 
After  they  passed  the  postern  her  abductors  left  no  trace. 
Whether  they  had  or  had  not  with  them  a  two-wheeled  or 
a  four-wheeled  carriage  or  a  litter  or  a  sedan-chair  cannot 
be  determined;  nor  whether  they  were  on  foot  or  on  horse- 
back. The  weather  was  dry  and  windy  and  the  rocky  roads 
out  of  Trebula  showed  no  tracks  of  any  kind.  The  country 
has  been  scoured  in  every  direction  and  all  persons  ques- 
tioned, not  only  at  the  change-stations  on  the  main  roads, 
and  at  crossroads,  but  at  all  villages.  Not  a  clue  has  been 
found;  though  all  Turpio's  friends  more  than  suspect  Vedius 
Molo,  there  is  not  an  iota  of  evidence  on  which  anyone  could 
base  a  demand  for  a  warrant  to  search  Villa  Vedia  or  any 
other  specified  villa,  farmstead  or  other  piece  of  property. 
Xantha  has  vanished.  There  are  rumors  that  she  is  at  Villa 
Vedia,  but  they  seem  as  baseless  as  the  rumor  of  a  party 
of  horsemen  conveying  a  closed  litter,  which  rumor  has 
radiated  from  uncountable  localities  all  about  here,  not  one 
of  which  localities  could,  when  their  inhabitants  were  ques- 
tioned, substantiate  the  rumor  in  any  way.  Equally  base- 
less appear  the  numerous  rumors  that  this  or  that  individual 
has  it  on  unimpeachable  authority  that  Xantha's  abductors 
are  camped  somewhere  in  this  or  that  woodland  and  are 
preparing  to  smuggle  Xantha  into  Villa  Vedia  by  that  route 
which  they  deem  least  probable  for  such  a  venture  and  there- 
fore least  watched.  With  all  this  the  country-side  is  agog, 
I  can  assure  you." 

"Fairly  exciting,  I  admit,"  Tanno  remarked  when  Bultius 
paused.  "Sounds  like  the  tales  of  goings-on  in  Latium  in 
the  days  when  the  Aequi,  Volsci  and  Hernici  raided  up  to> 
the  gates  of  Eome  four  summers  out  of  five.  I  had  not 
thought  Sabinum  so  primitive." 

Before  I  could  speak,  Fisevius  Rusco  cut  in. 

"Bultius,"  he  said,  "Vulso  and  Naepor  and  I  have  listened 
without  any  interruptions  to  your  version  of  the  occurrences 
you  have  narrated,  and  I  must  say  you  have  told  them  as 
fairly  as.  could  be  expected  from  any  one  with  your  leanings. 
I  have  no  remarks  to  make  on  your  story  nor  anything  to 


28  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

gay  in  rebuttal.  But  it  seems  to  me,  it  is  now  your  turn, 
along  with  Nepronius  and  Juventius,  to  listen  with  equal 
patience,  while  I  narrate  a  similar  story." 

The  three  Satronians  bowed  stiffly  and  in  silence. 

Eusco  resumed,  addressing  Tanno: 

"I  shall  not,"  he  said,  "be  compelled  to  go  into  details  as 
minutely  as  did  Bultius.  You  can  comprehend  my  story  with 
less  background. 

"At  Eeate,  for  some  years  past,  there  lived  a  worthy  couple, 
freedman  and  freedwoman  of  Vedius  Vindex.  The  husband 
died  more  than  a  year  ago,  leaving  a  young  and  childless 
widow,  named  Greia  Posis,  possessed  of  a  good  town-house 
and  of  three  small  farms  not  far  out  in  the  country.  Natur- 
ally as  she  was  comely  and  well-off,  Greia  soon  had  suitors 
aplenty.  For  some  time  she  showed  no  favor  to  any,  but 
lately  it  has  been  plain  that  she  would  marry  either  Helvidius 
Flaccus,  a  tenant-farmer  holding  his  land  under  one  of  the 
Vedian  clan  near  Eeate,  or  Annius  Largus,  similarly  a  tenant 
of  one  of  the  Satronian  properties.  Although  Helvidius  was 
on  Greia's  side  of  our  local  feud,  while  Annius  was  on  the 
other,  idlers  at  Eeate  were  laying  wagers  that  Annius  would 
win  Greia,  considering  him  most  in  her  favor. 

"Becently,  however,  Greia  had  some  sort  of  a  quarrel  with 
Annius,  and  announced  her  intention  of  marrying  Helvidius. 

"You  must  understand  that  Greia  has  the  best  sort  of 
reputation,  is  universally  respected,  and  is  greatly  liked  by 
all  her  neighbors  and  acquaintances  and  is  popular  in  Eeate. 

"Now,  a  day  or  two  after  the  abduction  which  Bultius  has 
narrated,  Greia  had  visited  one  of  her  farms  and,  towards 
dark,  was  returning  home  to  Eeate  in  a  two-wheeled  gig 
driven  by  a  slave  of  hers,  a  deaf-mute  lad.  What  occurred 
can  only  be  conjectured,  as  the  deaf-mute  cannot  relate  it, 
but,  at  all  events,  he  was  found  insensible,  bruised  and  bleed- 
ing, by  the  road,  apparently  having  been  unmercifully  beaten. 
Not  far  from  him  the  mule  was  grazing  by  the  roadside,  his 
harness  in  perfect  condition  and  the  gig  unharmed.  Greia, 
however,  had  vanished.  No  one  had  seen  Annius  in  the 
neighborhood,  yet  it  is  generally  assumed  that  he  managed 


A  COUNTRY  DINNER  29 

to  abduct  Greia  in  broad  daylight  without  any  one  sighting 
him  either  coming  or  going:  which,  if  the  fact,  would  be  an 
almost  miraculous  feat. 

"Certainly  Greia  has  disappeared.  The  magistrates  of 
Eeate  searched  Annius'  farmstead,  but  found  neither  Greia 
nor,  indeed,  any  trace  of  Annius  himself.  It  is  conjectured 
that  he  is  hiding,  with  Greia,  at  some  farm  or  villa  under  the 
Satronian  protection.  But  there  is  no  shadow  of  any  tan- 
gible basis  for  the  conjecture,  nor  for  the  rumors,  which, 
like  those  concerning  Xantha  which  Bultius  had  told  you  of, 
run  all  over  the  country-side;  very  similar  rumors,  too;  for 
some  are  to  the  effect  that  Annius  is  holding  Greia  in  durance 
at  Villa  Satronia;  others  that  a  cortege  of  horsemen  escort- 
ing a  closed  litter  has  been  seen  here  or  there  on  some  road; 
others  that  someone  has  learnt  that  Annius  is  about  to 
attempt  to  reach  Villa  Satronia  with  Greia,  convoyed  by  an 
escort  of  his  clansmen.  The  country-side  buzzes  with  such 
whispers. 

"And  let  me  point  out  to  you,  what  you  undoubtedly  com- 
prehend, that  serious  as  is  the  forcible  abduction  of  a  slave- 
girl,  the  abduction  of  a  freewoman,  even  if  a  freedwoman, 
is  a  far  more  serious  matter.  Not  only  is  Helvidius  on  fire 
to  reclaim  his  bride  and  to  revenge  himself  on  Largus,  not 
only  are  all  his  relations,  friends  and  well-wishers  eager  to 
assist  him  by  every  means  in  their  power,  not  only  are  all 
right-thinking  men  incensed  at  the  outrage,  but  the  magis- 
trates of  Reate  are  determined  to  bring  the  guilty  man  to 
justice  and  to  free  Greia. " 

Pomplio  paused. 

"Very  well  told,"  was  Tanno's  comment,  "and  I  compre- 
hend far  better  than  you  perhaps  imagine.  Not  only  are 
the  magistrates  of  Eeate  hot  on  the  trail  of  Annius  and  those 
of  Trebula  equally  keen  after  Vedius  Molo,  but  all  Vedians 
are  eager  to  shield  Molo  and  to  help  catch  and  convict  Annius 
Largus,  and  all  Satronians  conversely  doing  all  they  can  to 
shield  Largus  and  get  Molo.  Oh,  I  twig !  Moreover  I  real- 
ize that  all  Vedians  regard  the  abduction  of  Greia  as  not  so 
much  a  hot-headed  folly  of  Largus  as  a  Satronian  retort  to 


30  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  abduction  of  Xantha;  and  conversely,  all  Satronians  re- 
gard it  as  merely  an  insufficient  counter  to  Xantha's  abduc- 
tion. Oh,  I  comprehend  the  feud  atmosphere.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  scores  of  poniards  of  the  Vedian  clan  are  sharp 
and  daily  sharpened  sharper,  for  use  on  Largus  and  as  many 
Satronian  dirks  for  use  on  Molo;  that  every  road  here- 
abouts has  watchers  posted  along  it;  that  bands  of  lusty 
lads  are  camped  here  and  there  waiting  summonses  or  are 
actually  in  likely  ambushes  by  the  roadsides.  I  foresee 
shindies  of  great  amplitude.  You  need  not  say  any  more; 
neither  of  you  need  say  any  more;  none  of  you  need  say 
any  more.  In  fact,  I  beg  that  the  whole  subject  be  dropped 
right  here.  I  comprehend  the  feud  atmosphere  and  I  don't 
want  any  more  of  it  in  this  triclinium.  Let's  forget  or  ignore 
the  feud  and  enjoy  Hedulio's  good  fare." 

His  compelling  personality  exerted  its  magic,  as*  usual. 
All  six  feudists  relaxed.  I  could  feel  the  social  tension  dis- 
solve. We  all  felt  relieved. 

By  that  time  we  had  disposed  of  the  fish  and  roasts,  the 
boys  had  lighted  the  hanging  lamps  and  the  standing  lamps, 
had  removed  the  tray  with  what  we  had  left  of  the  roasts 
and  had  brought  in  the  third-course  tray  with  the  birds  and 
salads.  As  we  sampled  them  Tanno  remarked: 

'TTou  have  a  cook,  astonishingly  good,  Caius,  for  any- 
where outside  of  Rome  and  amazingly  good  for  a  villa  in  the 
hills,  far  from  a  town.  I  must  see  your  cook  and  question 
him.  His  roasts,  his  broiled,  baked  and  fried  dishes  are 
above  the  averages,  yet  nothing  wonderful.  But  his  ragouts 
or  fricassees  or  whatever  you  call  them,  are  marvellous. 
This  salmi  of  fig-peckers  (or  of  some  similar  bird,  for  it  is 
so  ingeniously  flavored  and  spiced,  that  I  cannot  be  sure) 
is  miraculous.  There  was  a  sort  of  chowder,  too,  of  what 
fish  I  could  not  conjecture,  which  was  so  appetizing  that  I 
could  have  gorged  on  it.  Just  as  provocative  and  alluring 
was  one  of  the  concoctions  of  the  second  course,  apparently 
of  lamb  or  kid,  but  indubitably  a  masterpiece.  I  certainly 
must  see  your  cook." 

cook/'  I  confessed,  "was  not  the  artist  of  the  dishes 


A  COUNTRY  DINNER  31 

you  praise  so  highly.  Hereabouts  we  do  not  give  them  such 
high-sounding  names  as  you  apply  to  them,  we  call  them 
hashes  or  stews.  Ofatulena,  the  wife  of  my  villa-farm  bailiff, 
devised  them  and  prepared  them.  She  is  famous  hereabouts 
for  her  cooking/' 

"What,"  cried  Tanno,  "a  woman  cook!  Never  saw  a 
woman  cook,  never  heard  of  one,  never  read  of  one.  Egypt, 
Babylonia,  Lydia,  Persia,  Greece  and  Italy,  all  cooks  have 
always  been  men.  I  ought  to  know  all  about  cookery,  what 
with  my  library  on  cookery  and  my  travels  to  all  the  cities 
famous  for  cookery.  But  you  have  taught  me  something 
novel  and  wholly  unsuspected.  Trot  out  your  female  cook. 
Let's  have  a  look  at  her." 

I  sent  for  Ofatulena  and  she  came  in,  pleased  and  em- 
barrassed, flushed  brick-red  all  over  her  full  moon  of  a  face, 
diffident  and  elated,  trembling  and  giggling. 

Tanno  questioned  her  and  satisfied  himself  that  she  had 
prepared  the  dishes  which  had  won  his  approbation  and  also 
that  she  was  no  hit-or-miss  cook,  but  a  real  artist  in  the 
kitchen  and  really  knew  what  she  was  doing. 

"Beware,  Hedulio,"  he  said  as  he  dismissed  her.  "You 
Sabines  will  have  three  abductions  to  gossip  over  if  you 
do  not  look  out.  Fm  half  tempted  now  to  suborn  some  of 
the  riff-raff  of  the  Subura  to  kidnap  this  miracle-worker  of 
yours  and  hale  her  to  Rome  into  my  kitchen  to  amaze  my 
guests." 

When  she  was  gone  he  resumed: 

"Everything  is  topsy  turvy  in  Sabinum,  woman  cooks  and 
tenant  farmers!  What  next?  I  gather  that  all  of  you, 
Satronians,  Vedians  and  outsiders,  have  your  estates  par- 
celled out  among  free  tenant  farmers.  Am  I  right?" 

Hirnio,  Seclator  and  the  rest  assured  him  that  he  was 
right. 

"Well,  then,"  he  said,  "tenant  farming  must  be  a  subject 
perfectly  safe  for  all  persons  present.  Let's  talk  about  it. 
Hedulio  has  tried  to  expound  to  me  the  beauties  of  the  sys- 
tem, but  he  had  no  great  success.  I  fail  so  far,  to  compre- 
hend how  the  institution  ever  came  into  existence,  why  it 


82  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

has  maintained  itself  only  in  Sabinum  and  what  are  its 
advantages.  Tell  me  about  it." 

Tanno  had  hit  upon  one  of  the  few  subjects  on  which  all 
present  felt  concordantly.  His  utterance  started  a  hubbub, 
all  my  guests  talking  at  once,  each  trying  to  out-talk  all  the 
others  and  all  voicing  our  local  enthusiasm  for  our  local 
farm-system.  The  tricUmum  rang  with  pseans  of  praise  of 
our  Sabine  yeomanry,  and  when  the  excitement  had  abated 
enough  to  permit  of  intelligible  discourse,  Tanno  was  re- 
galed with  a  series  of  tales  illustrating  the  sterling  worth  of 
the  Sabine  yeomen,  their  knowledge  of  farming,  their  dili- 
gence, their  patience,  their  unflagging  energy,  their  parsi- 
mony, their  amazing  productivity  in  respect  to  crop-yield, 
stock,  implements  and  all  things  raised  or  made  on  their 
farms,  their  devotion  to  their  landlords,  the  charm  of  the 
ties  between  the  gentry  and  the  yeomanry  and  the  universal 
Sabine  cult  of  the  tenant  system. 

With  all  this  talk  we  lingered  longer  than  usual  over 
Ofatulena's  bewitching  salads,  which  Tanno  lauded  even 
above  her  ragouts. 

When  it  was  time  for  the  last  course,  after  the  service-boys 
had  slid  the  third-course  tray  off  the  table,  I  was  amazed 
to  see  my  four  strongest  table  slaves  enter  fairly  staggering 
under  the  load  put  upon  them  by  Grandfathers  biggest 
dinner-tray  heaped  with  fruit,  among  which  I  descried  Afri- 
can pomegranates  and  other  exotics.  Still  more  was  I 
amazed  when  other  slaves  crowded  in  behind  them,  carrying 
baskets  of  hot-house  melons  of  astonishing  size  and  insistent 
perfume.  Last  of  the  procession  was  Agathemer,  who  stood 
in  the  doorway,  grinning  and  beaming. 

Tanno,  not  less  than  the  guests  in  chorus,  acclaimed  this 
unexpected  profusion. 

Again  I  looked  interrogatively  at  Agathemer.  He  re- 
sponded as  at  the  commencement  of  our  meal. 

"I  have  a  note  here,"  he  said,  "which  I  was  enjoined  not 
to  hand  you  until  after  this  fruit  had  been  set  upon  your 
table." 

He  handed  me  the  missive,  the  superscription  of  which 


A  COUNTRY  DINNER  33 

was,  to  my  astonishment,  in  the  handwriting  of  Satronius 
Dromo.  While  my  fingers  tugged  at  the  thread,  Tanno  com- 
manded : 

"Read  it  out  loud  at  once,  like  the  other.  No  secreta 
here.  Let  us  all  in." 

The  letter  began  with  all  the  traditional  polite  formalities, 
as  had  that  from  Vedius.  It  read: 

"Satronius  Dromo  to  his  valued  friend  Andivius  Hedulio. 
If  you  are  well  I  am  well  also.  I  was  writing  at  Villa  Satro- 
nia  on  the  day  before  the  Nones  of  June.  Some  days  before 
I  had  written  you  expressing  my  regret  at  the  circumstances 
which  prevented  me  from  accepting  your  most  welcome  in- 
vitation to  dine  with  you  on  the  Nones.  I  intended  dis- 
patching to  you,  with  this,  what  fruit  my  establishment  has 
fit  for  your  acceptance,  which  I  ask  of  you,  this  fruit  being 
sent  as  an  earnest  of  my  cordiality.  When  you  are  settled 
at  Rome  I  beg  that,  when  perfectly  convenient  to  you,  you 
convey  my  warmest  regards  to  my  cousin's  widow,  Vedia 
Venusta. 

"Farewell." 

At  this  letter  I  was  fairly  thunderstruck.  That  Satronius 
should  take  any  notice  of  me  at  all  was  more  amazing  than 
the  graciousness  of  Vedius.  That  he  should  have  ransacked 
the  provinces  and  overstrained  the  capabilities  of  rowers  and 
horseflesh  to  send  me  costly  rarities  out  of  season  was 
astounding.  That  his  last  sentence  should  practically  dupli- 
cate the  last  sentence  of  the  letter  from  Vedius  was  most 
incredible  of  all.  For  if  all  Vedians  were  sure  to  be  very 
decidedly  hypercritical  as  to  anyone  likely  to  become  Vedia's 
second  husband,  it  was  still  more  a  certainty  that  the  entire 
Satronian  connection  would  scrutinize  minutely  everything 
concerning  any  man  likely  to  come  into  control  of  the  great 
properties  which  she  had  inherited  from  her  husband,  Satro- 
nius Patavinus.  That  I  should  be  disfavored  by  the  entire 
Satronian  connection  had  seemed  to  me  more  than  likely. 
Dromo's  intimation  of  his  warm  approval  of  my  suit  for 
Vedia,  coming  on  top  of  Caspo's,  cleared  of  all  obstacles  my 


34  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

path,  towards  matrimony  with  the  woman  of  my  heart's 
choice.  I  was  more  than  elated,  I  was  drunk  with  ecstacy. 

After  I  had  finished  reading,  dead  silence  reigned  in  the 
triclinium ;  even  Tanno  was  too  dumbfounded  to  utter  any 
sound. 

Hirnio  spoke  first. 

"Gentlemen/'  he  said,  "I  beg  of  you  to  hear  me  out  with 
attention.  Like  our  Caius  here  and  like  his  hereditary 
antagonist,  Ducconius  Furfur,  I  have  never  taken  sides  in 
our  age-long  local  feud.  Like  all  outsiders  and  like  a  ma- 
jority of  its  partisans,  I  have  grieved  at  its  existence,  de- 
plored its  unfortunate  results  and  hoped  for  its  extinction. 
I  think  I  may  say  with  truth  that  there  was  not  one  inhabi- 
tant of  this  neighborhood  who  did  not  rejoice  when  the 
heads  of  the  two  families,  with  the  abolition  of  the  feud  and 
the  creation  of  the  permanent  amity  in  view,  arranged  a  mar- 
riage .between  the  lovely  daughter  of  the  head  of  the  northern 
branch  of  the  Yedian  House  and  the  son  of  the  northern 
branch  of  the  Satronian  House.  Satronian  or  Vedian;  free- 
man or  slave,  everyone  was  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  last- 
ing harmony.  The  sudden  death  of  Satronius  Patavinus 
not  only  blasted  these  hopes,  but  intensified  antagonisms ; 
for  all  the  Vedians  felt  that  a  daughter  of  the  clan  had  been 
sacrificed  in  vain  and  all  Satronians  regretted  that  vast 
properties  about  Padua,  long  possessed  by  Satronians,  passed 
by  the  will  of  her  husband  to  a  young  widow,  born  of  the 
Vedian  House.  All  saw  the  prospect  of  exacerbated  enmities 
•and  their  probable  results. 

"Now  it  must  be  apparent  to  you  that  the  two  letters 
which  we  have  heard  read  would  never  have  been  written 
without  their  writers  having  consulted  with  the  heads  of 
their  respective  houses.  These  letters  are  an  intimation  to 
our  Caius  that  both  her  kinsmen  and  the  kinsmen  of  her 
first  husband  smile  upon  his  suit  for  the  most  lovely,  the 
most  charming  and  the  wealthiest  widow  in  Eome.  This 
means,  to  a  certainty,  that  both  Satronius  Satro  and  Vedius 
Vedianus  descry  the  possibility  that  Vedia's  union  with  a 
second  husband  acceptable  to  both  clans  and  opposed  to 


A  COUNTRY  DINNER  35 

neither  may  work  for  mitigation  of  the  feud  spirit  and  for 
establishment  of  harmonious  amity  almost  as  powerfully  as 
would  have  the  permanency  of  her  membership  of  the  Satro- 
nian  clan.  I  conceive  that  all  of  us,  outsiders  and  partisans, 
may  congratulate  Caius  without  reservation  or  afterthought, 
heartily  and  enthusiastically." 

To  this  all  present  agreed  in  chorus,  all  drank  my  health. 

Yulso,  rather  hesitatingly,  spoke  next. 

"As  all  we  say  here,"  he  began,  "is  under  the  rose  and 
will  not  be  rep€ated  or  hinted  at,  I  do  not  mind  saying  that 
I  feel  as  does  Hirnio." 

To  this  Eusco  and  Naepor  agreed,  with  less  hesitancy. 

Similarly  the  three  Satronians  expressed  their  concurrence. 

Again  they  all  congratulated  me  on  my  luck,  drank  to 
the  success  of  my  suit,  and  to  my  prosperity  and  health. 

Complete  harmony  reigned  and  the  strained  social  atmos- 
phere attending  a  dinner  in  the  feud  area  vanished  com- 
pletely. 

By  this  time  the  moon,  which  was  nearly  full,  was  high 
enough  to  bathe  the  world  with  silvery  light.  Tanno  peering 
across  the  table  and  through  the  windows,  remarked: 

"You  have  a  fine  prospect,  Caius.  I  admired  it  when  I 
first  lay  down,  but  our  interest  in  the  flowers  and  in  your 
letter  from  Vedius  diverted  my  intention  to  speak  of  it.  It 
is  a  charming  outlook  even  by  moonlight." 

"Yes,"  I  admitted,  with  not  a  little  pride.  "Grandfather, 
of  course,  dined  earlier  than  is  fashionable  nowadays.  He 
built  this  triclinium  so  that  he  could  bask  in  the  rays  of  the 
declining  sun  and  could  watch  the  sunset  colors  as  they 
varied  and  deepened.  My  uncle  used  to  dine  as  early  as  his 
father  and,  even  in  the  hottest  weather,  enjoyed  the  direct 
rays  of  the  sun  on  him  as  he  dined,  for  he  was  always  rheu- 
matic and  chilly,  yet  he  enjoyed  the  beauty  of  the  view  even 
more." 

"It  is  charming  even  by  moonlight,"  Tanno  repeated,  "and 
that  although  the  villa  is  between  our  outlook  and  the  moon, 
so  its  shadow  darkens  the  nearer  prospect." 

LWe  all  contemplated  the  view  through  the  window. 


36  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"Who  are  those  men  I  see  just  beyond  the  shadow  of  the 
house  ?"  Tanno  queried.  "Quite  an  assemblage,  it  seems 
to  me ;  almost  a  mob  for  these  lonely  districts." 

I  looked  where  he  indicated  and  could  not  conjecture  what 
it  was  that  I  saw. 


CHAPTER  III 

TENANTRY    AND   SLAVERY 

AGATHEMER  came  in  and  explained  that  my  tenants 
had  a  petition  to  present  to  me  and  had  gathered,  hop- 
ing that  I  would  receive  them  after  dinner.  (Doubtless,  I 
thought,  conjecturing  that  I  would  be,  just  after  dinner,  in 
the  most  accommodating  humor  possible.) 

"I  must  see  this  and  hear  what  they  have  to  say,"  Tanno 
declared.  "Have  you  any  objections  to  our  going  with  you, 
Caius?"  he  asked. 

On  my  saying  that  I  should  be  glad  to  have  him  come 
along,  he  said: 

"Come  on,  all  of  you,  it  will  be  fun,  and  standing  out  in 
the  night  cool  will  freshen  our  zest  for  our  wine." 

All  nine  of  us  went  out  on  the  terrace.  The  prospect 
was  indeed  beautiful,  only  the  brighter  stars  showing  in  the 
pale  sky,  the  far  hills  outlined  against  it,  the  nearer  hills 
darkly  glimmering  in  the  moon-rays,  the  valleys  all  full  of 
pearly  moonlit  haze,  the  pleasance  about  the  villa  vague 
in  the  witchery  of  the  moon's  full  radiance. 

In  that  full  radiance,  on  the  path  below  the  balustrade 
of  the  terrace,  were  my  nine  tenant  farmers.  Not  one,  as 
was  natural  among  our  healthy  hills,  but  was  my  elder. 
Yet,  according  to  our  customary  mode  of  address  from  master 
to  tenant,  I  said  to  them: 

"What  brings  you  here,  lads,  so  long  after  your  habitual 
bed-time?" 

Ligo  Atrior  acted  as  spokesman. 


TENANTRY  AND  SLAVERY  37 

"We  have  a  request  to  prefer/'  he  said,  "and  we  judged 
this  an  opportune  time." 

"Speak  out/'  I  said,  "our  wine  is  waiting  for  me  and  my 
guests,  and  I  am  listening.  Speak  out !" 

He  set  forth,  at  considerable  length  and  with  many  halts 
and  repetitions,  that  all  their  farms  were  in  excellent  order 
and  in  an  exceedingly  forward  condition,  promising  very 
well  for  the  future  in  all  respects;  that  I  had  just  assured 
myself  of  all  this  by  a  minute  inspection;  that  they  were 
keenly  emulous  of  each  other  and  each  thought  his  farm  the 
best  of  the  nine;  that  they  were  and  had  been  very  curious 
to  learn  which  of  the  nine  farms  I  thought  the  best  kept; 
that  someone  had  suggested  that,  if  I  judged  any  one  of 
the  nine  distinctly  better  than  his  fellows',  it  would  be 
proper  to  distinguish  the  man  of  my  choice  by  some  gift, 
bonus,  exemption  or  privilege,  if  his  farm  was  really  the  best 
kept;  that  while  discussing  these  matters  someone  had  re- 
marked that  he  envied  me  my  approaching  visit  to  Borne, 
as  he  had  never  been  there;  that  this  had  brought  to  their 
notice  that  not  one  of  them  had  ever  seen  Rome,  though  it 
was  less  than  three  days'  journey  away;  that  someone  had 
suggested  that  perhaps  I  might  be  induced  not  only  to  specify 
which  of  them  I  considered  the  best  farmer,  but  to  indicate 
my  preference  by  allowing  the  best  of  them  to  visit  Eome 
later  in  the  summer,  after  the  crops  were  all  harvested;  that 
they  had  agreed  to  abide  loyally  by  my  choice  and  that  they 
prayed  me  to  declare  which  of  them,  in  my  opinion,  was 
the  best  farmer. 

When  Ligo  paused,  old  Chryseros  Philargyrus,  his  wiry 
leanness  manifest  even  in  the  moonlight,  although  he  was 
well  muffled  up  against  the  dampness  of  the  night,  pushed 
himself  to  the  front  and  said  that  he  claimed  that,  in  any 
such  competition,  he  ought  to  stand  on  a  level  with  my  eight 
other  tenants,  even  if  they  had  been  life-long  tenants  of  the 
estate,  whereas  he,  like  his  father  and  grandfather,  had  paid 
rent  to  Ducconius  Furfur.  He  claimed  that  the  court  deci- 
sion by  which  Ducconius  had  had  to  refund  to  my  uncle 
all  the  rents  received  from  the  farm  in  dispute  since  the 


68  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

first  decision  of  the  lowest  court  had  awarded  it  to  a  Duc- 
eonius  had  been,  in  effect,  an  affirmation  that  his  ancestors 
and  he  had  always  been,  constructively,  tenants  of  the  An- 
divian  estate. 

The  old  man  spoke  well  and  tersely,  made  his  points 
neatly  and  stated  his  arguments  lucidly,  and,  in  conclusion 
he  said: 

"And  you  must  realize,  Sir,  that  whatever  my  feelings 
have  been  up  to  today,  after  what  happened  this  afternoon 
I  have  forgotten  that  I  or  mine  ever  owned  Ducconius  Furfur 
as  master.  I  am  your  man  henceforward,  body  and  soul; 
I  call  you  not  only  patron  but  savior  and  father.  I  make  my 
plea  for  treatment  putting  me  on  full  equality  with  my 
fellows,  and  I  value  myself  so  highly  that  I  hope  for  the 
prize.  Yet  if  I  am  not  the  lucky  man,  I  shall  loyally  and 
in  silence  abide  by  your  decision." 

I  was  pleased  with  his  words  and  I  admitted  the  correct- 
ness of  his  contentions,  but  rebuked  him  for  his  self-assertive 
manner. 

Then  Ligo  spoke  again. 

"Please  publish  your  opinion,  Master,  for  we  are  sleepy 
and  long  to  be  abed.  But  much  more  do  we  long  for  your 
decision,  for  each  one  of  us  considers  himself  a  better  farmer 
than  any  other  and  expects  to  be  the  chosen  man." 

I  smiled. 

"Suppose,"  I  said,  "that  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  no  one 
of  you  is  better  than  all  his  fellows,  but  that  two  of  you 
are  better  than  the  other  seven,  but  equal  to  each  other  in 
merit?" 

Ligo  stood  at  loss,  but  old  Chryseros  spoke  out  at  once, 
saying: 

"In  that  case,  Master,  it  would  be  proper  that  both  men 
go  to  Rome,  as  such  a  prize  could  not  be  divided  into  shares." 

His  forwardness  angered  me.  I  told  him  sharply  to  mind 
his  manners  and  to  keep  his  place;  that  Ligo  had  been 
chosen  spokesman  and  that  he  was  to  hold  his  peace.  I  also 
pointed  out  that  I  had  not  agreed  to  give  any  such  prize 


TENANTRY  AND  SLAVERY  39 

for  distinguished  excellence,  that  far  less  had  I  agreed  that 
a  visit  to  Eome  should  be  the  prize. 

All  nine  of  them  stood  mute. 

I  was  tingling  with  my  elation  over  my  prospects  of  win- 
ning Vedia,  for  I  felt  sure  of  her  personal  favor,  and  the 
two  notes  from  my  great  neighbors  had  thrown  me  into  a  sort 
of  trance  of  rapture.  I  was  genuinely  pleased  with  the 
frugality,  diligence  and  skill  of  my  tenants.  My  estate  was 
in  a  way  to  return  far  more  than  I  had  expected  of  it.  I  was 
in  a  position  to  be  liberal,  I  felt  indulgent. 

'Tiads,"  I  cried,  "everyone  of  the  nine  of  you  is  as  good 
a  farmer  as  everyone  of  the  other  eight.  You  are  the  nine 
best  farmers  in  Sabinum.  You  are  such  good  farmers  that 
you  have  put  your  farms  in  a  state  where  your  bailiffs  can 
oversee  the  harvest  as  well  as  if  under  your  own  eyes.  Every- 
one of  you  has  earned  a  visit  to  Rome  and  everyone  of  you 
shall  have  it,  and  not  at  some  future  time,  which  may  never 
come,  but  now.  I  start  for  Rome  at  daybreak  and  the  whole 
nine  of  you  shall  go  with  me !" 

This  unexpected  liberality  they  heard  in  silence :  they  stood 
dumb  and  motionless. 

All  but  Philargyrus.  Gesticulating,  he  pressed  forward 
among  them  from  where  he  had  retired  to  the  rear  after 
my  late  rebuke.  Gesticulating,  his  voice  rising  into  a  senile 
scream,  he  upbraided  me  for  folly,  extravagance,  unthrift 
and  prodigality.  He  declared  that  such  indulgence  would 
ruin  me,  would  debauch  him  and  his  fellows  and  would,  by 
its  evil  example,  infect,  corrupt  and  deprave  the  whole 
countryside.  He  railed  at  me.  He  vowed  that,  whatever 
the  rest  might  do,  he  would  use  all  his  powers  of  persuasion 
to  urge  them  to  stick  to  their  farms  till  harvest  was  over 
and  he  swore  that  he  himself  would,  under  no  circumstances, 
leave  his  till  the  last  ear  of  grain,  the  last  root,  the  last  fruit, 
was  garnered,  stored  and  safe  for  the  winter. 

I  let  him  shriek  himself  hoarse  and  talk  himself  mute; 
then  I  spoke  calmly  and  sternly: 

"I  am  master  here  and  master  of  all  of  you.     The  loyalty 


40  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

due  from  a  free  tenant  is,  in  Sabinum,  as  mandatory  a  bond 
as  the  obedience  legally  due  from  a  slave.  I  speak.  Listen, 
all  of  you.  I  set  out  for  Rome  at  dawn.  See  that  every 
man  of  the  nine  of  you  is  on  horseback  at  the  east  courtyard 
gate  at  dawn,  with  an  ample  pack  of  all  things  needed  for  a 
month's  absence  properly  girthed  on  a  led  mule.  If  any  of 
you  dare  to  disobey  I  shall  find  some  effective  means  to  make 
him  smart  for  his  temerity." 

Ligo,  finding  his  voice,  thanked  me  for  the  nine,  and  they 
trudged  away. 

When  we  were  back  again  on  the  dining-sofas  Tanno,  as 
was  his  habit,  took  charge  of  things  after  his  breezy  fashion. 

"With  the  permission  of  our  Caius,"  he  said,  without  ask- 
ing my  permission,  of  which  he  was  sure,  "I  appoint  myself 
King  of  the  Revels.  Where's  the  head  butler?" 

When  my  major-domo  came  forward,  Tanno  queried : 

"How  much  water  did  you  mix  with  the  wine  we've  been 
drinking  with  our  dinner?" 

The  butler  replied: 

"Two  measures  of  water  to  one  of  wine." 

Tanno  nodded  to  me,  smiling. 

"You've  mighty  good  wine,  Caius,"  he  said.  "No  one  is 
more  an  expert  than  I  and  I  should  have  conjectured  three 
to  two." 

"Lads,"  he  continued,  to  the  guests  collectively,  "this  is 
the  sort  of  master-of-the-revels  I  am.  I  mean  to  start  for 
Rome  at  dawn  with  Caius  and  I  intend  that  both  of  us  shall 
start  cold  sober.  Therefore  all  of  us  must  go  to  bed  rea- 
sonably sober.  You  must  submit  to  my  rulings." 

Then  he  instructed  the  butler: 

"Give  us  no  more  of  the  mixture  we  have  been  drinking. 
Mix  a  big  bowl  three  to  one  and  ladle  that  out  to  us." 

When  our  goblets  had  been  filled  he  spoke  to  me ! 

"Caius,  I  want  to  know  what  that  old  hunks  of  a  Chryseros 
Philargyrus  meant  when  he  said  that  after  what  had  oc- 
curred this  afternoon  he  was  your  man,  body  and  soul. 
What  happened." 

"Nothing  much."    I  said.     "As  Agathemer  and  I  were 


TENANTRY  AND  SLAVERY  41 

riding  home  and  were  passing  his  barn-yard  gate,  we  heard 
yells  for  help.  I  dismounted  and  ran  in.  I  found  Chrys- 
eros  rather  at  a  disadvantage  in  handling  a  bull.  I  helped 
him  get  the  beast  into  his  pen.  His  gratitude  seems  exag- 
gerated/' 

"Not  any  more  exaggerated  than  your  modesty,"  spoke  up 
Neponius  Pomplio,  who  had  hardly  uttered  a  word  since 
he  arrived.  Turning  to  Tanno  he  continued : 

"You'll  never  get  Hedulio  to  tell  you  anything  more  defi- 
nite than  the  very  vague  and  hazy  adumbration  of  his  exploit 
he  has  already  given.  I  heard  some  rumors  of  his  feat  as  I 
rode  down  here  from  my  house.  I  conjecture  that  the  story 
is  worth  telling,  to  its  least  detail.  If  you  want  to  hear 
what  really  occurred,  call  in  Agathemer ;  he  was  with  Hedulio 
when  it  happened." 

"Good  idea/'  said  Tanno,  "and  I  want  Agathemer  here  for 
another  reason.  May  I  call  him  in,  Caius?" 

I  assented  and  Agathemer  came  in,  as  smiling  and  obse- 
quious as  always. 

"Agathemer,"  Tanno  queried,  "have  you  finished  your 
dinner?" 

"Long  ago,"  said  Agathemer,  "and  plenty  too." 

"Then  have  a  chair,"  said  Tanno,  rolling  himself  luxu- 
riously on  the  deep,  soft  mattress  of  one  of  my  uncle's  super- 
latively comfortable  sofas.  "No!"  he  said  sharply.  "No 
demurring.  Sit  down,  man !  Do  as  I  tell  you !  I've  a  batch 
of  questions  to  put  to  you  and  you'll  be  long  answering  me. 
I  want  you  entirely  at  ease  while  you  talk.  You  can't  talk 
as  I  want  you  to  unless  you  forget  everything  else.  If  you 
stand  you'll  be  thinking  of  your  tired  legs  instead  of  talking 
without  thinking  at  all." 

Agathemer,  embarrassed,  seated  himself  in  the  lowest  and 
simplest  chair  in  the  room. 

"We  called  you  in  for  something  else,"  said  Tanno,  "but 
first  of  all  I  want  to  ask  you  why  you  were  not  with  us 
at  dinner?  Caius  has  written  me  again  and  again  how  he 
and  you  dine  together  evening  after  evening  and  how  you 
are  so  entertaining  that  he  enjoys  a  dinner  just  with  you 


4&  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

almost  as  much  as  if  he  has  novel  guests.  Why  were  yon 
left  out  of  this?  Is  Hedulio  shy  of  more  or  less  than  nine 
at  table,  like  his  uncle,  or  does  his  uncle's  dining-room  oufit 
coerce  him?  Or  what  was  the  reason?" 

Agathemer  turned  red  and  visibly  writhed,  mute  and 
sweating. 

I  cut  in. 

"Here,  Caius,"  I  said  to  Tanno,  "this  isn't  the  torture 
chamber  nor  you  the  executioner,  nor  yet  has  Agathemer 
deserved  the  rack.  You  are  putting  him  in  an  excruciating 
dilemma.  He  is  too  courteous  to  tell  you  that  you  ought  to 
ask  me,  not  him,  and  he  is  too  loyal  to  tell  you  the  reason." 

I  was  nearer  to  being  angry  with  Tanno  than  I  had  ever 
been  in  our  lives.  I  comprehended  why  he,  with  all  his 
superlative  equipment  of  tact  and  intuition,  had  blundered; 
he  could  not  but  assume  that  circumstances  were  as  they 
should  have  been  rather  than  as  they  were;  yet  the  blunder 
was,  in  a  sense,  unforgivable,  and  had  created  a  social  situa- 
tion than  which  nothing  could  be  more  awkward. 

Agathemer^s  face  cleared  as  I  spoke. 

Tanno  rounded  on  me. 

"You  tell  me,  then  \"  he  said.  "I  guess  from  their  faces 
that  I  have  advertised  my  ignorance  of  what  is  perfectly 
well  known  to  everybody  else  here.  Eemove  my  disabili- 
ties." 

I  hesitated  and  then  went  in  with  a  rush. 

"It  does  not  matter  a  particle,"  I  said,  "how  often  I  lie 
down  to  dinner  with  Agathemer  when  we  are  alone.  Since  I 
am  then  the  only  freeman  in  the  villa  there  are  no  witnesses 
of  our  dining  together.  But  if  I  have  him  to  dinner  with 
any  guest  he  becomes  thereby  a  freeman,  as  you  very  well 
know.  And  if  I  were  free  to  set  him  free  and  chose  to  free 
him  in  that  fashion,  I  should  have  to  advise  my  friends  in 
advance  of  my  intentions  and  ask  whether  they  were  willing 
to  lend  themselves  to  such  a  proceeding.  One  cannot  invite 
a  man  without  previous  explanation  and  then,  when  he's  al- 
ready in  one's  house,  ask  him  to  lie  down  to  dinner  with  a 
slave." 


TENANTRY  AND  SLAVERY  43 

"Slave!"  Tanno  roared  at  me,  his  face  red  as  the  back 
of  a  boiled  lobster.  If  I  had  just  missed  being  angry  with 
him,  there  was  no  doubt  that  he  was  in  a  tearing  fury 
with  me. 

"Slave?"  he  repeated.  "Agathemer  still  a  slave?  Are  you 
joking  or  are  you  serious?  Is  this  true?" 

"Entirely  and  literally  true."     I  affirmed. 

Tanno,  so  red  that  I  should  have  thought  it  impossible  that 
he  could  grow  redder,  grew  redder. 

"If  your  uncle,"  he  roared,  "did  not  free  him  in  his  will 
he  was  a  hog.  If  you  haven't  freed  him  yourself,  you're  a 
hog.  Free  him  here  and  now !  Show  some  decency  and  some 
gratitude!  Better  late  than  never.  Here,  Agathemer,  get 
off  that  boy's  stool  and  lie  down  between  me  and  Entedius." 

"Go  slow,  Caius !"  I  admonished  him.  "You  just  con- 
fessed that  you  know  nothing  of  the  circumstances,  yet  you 
give  orders  in  my  house,  orders  affecting  my  property-rights, 
without  first  acquainting  yourself  with  all  the  conditions  on 
which  such  orders  should  be  based,  even  if  you  had  asked 
and  received  my  permission  to  issue  them." 

Tanno  was  impulsive,  even  headlong,  but  he  never  wran- 
gled or  quarrelled  and  seldom  lost  his  temper.  I  had  feared 
a  still  more  violent  outburst  from  him,  but  my  admonition 
brought  him  to  himself. 

"I  apologize,"  he  said,  the  red  fading  from  his  face.  "Tell 
me  the  whole  matter,  so  that  I  may  comprehend.  I'll  listen 
in  silence." 

"The  vital  fact,"  I  said,  "is  that,  although  I  fully  expected 
my  uncle,  in  his  will,  to  free  Agathemer,  he  not  only  did 
not  free  him,  but  he  enjoined  me  not  to  free  him  within 
•five  years  after  my  entrance  into  my  inheritance." 

"Well,"  said  Tanno,  "I  take  back  what  I  said  of  you  when 
I  called  you  a  hog,  but,  even  if  we  are  taught  to  utter 
nothing  but  good  of  the  dead,  I  repeat  that  your  uncle  was 
a  hog.  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Agathemer  ?" 

Agathemer  sat  at  ease  now  on  his  stool  and  his  face  was 
placid. 

"Since  you  have  asked  what  I  think,"  he  said,  "may  I 


44  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

assume  that  you  accord  me  permission  to  utter  what  I  think, 
as  if  I  were  even  a  free  man?" 

"Utter  precisely  what  you  think,  without  any  reservations 
or  modifications/'  said  Tanno.  "I  want  to  have  exactly  what 
you  think  and  all  you  think." 

"I  think/'  spoke  Agathemer,  "that  you  are  neither  wise 
to  speak  so  of  the  dead  nor  justified  in  speaking  so  of  my 
former  master.  He  was  a  just  man  and  a  wise  man.  Though 
I  cannot  conjecture  his  reason,  I  am  sure  that  what  he  did 
was,  somehow,  for  the  best." 

Tanno  stared  at  him  with  a  puzzled  expression. 

He  turned  to  me. 

"Isn't  it  true,"  he  queried,  "that  your  uncle  had  on  his 
hands  an  hereditary  lawsuit  of  the  most  exasperating  sort, 
in  the  course  of  which  the  other  side  had  won  the  first 
decision  and  every  appeal?" 

"Everybody  knows  that,  Socrates,"  I  admitted. 

"Didn't  Agathemer,"  Tanno  pressed  me,  "just  before  the 
case  was  heard  in  the  highest  court,  make  a  suggestion 
which  your  uncle's  lawyers  utilized  and  through  which  they 
won  the  case?" 

"That  is  also  true,"  I  affirmed. 

"Didn't  they  all  say,  that  Agathemer's  suggestion  was 
just  what  they  should  have  thought  of  at  the  very  first  and 
didn't  they  admit  that  they  had  not  thought  of  it  until 
Agathemer  suggested  it  and  that  they  never  would  have 
thought  of  it  if  he  had  not  suggested  it?" 

"Those  are  the  facts,"  I  confessed. 

"In  view  of  those  facts,"  Tanno  continued,  "what  did  you 
yourself  expect  your  uncle  to  do  for  Agathemer  in  his  will?' 

I  ruminated. 

"The  very  least  I  anticipated,"  I  said,  "was  that  he  would 
free  Agathemer  and  make  him  a  present  equal  to  the  value 
of  half  the  property  in  dispute  in  the  lawsuit.  As  Ducco- 
nius  had  had  to  repay  to  my  uncle  the  full  amount  of  the 
rents  paid  since  his  family  first  gained  possession  of  the  prop- 
erty, that  would  have  been  a  very  moderate  reward  for 
Agathemer's  service.  I  also  conjectured  that  he  might  free 


TENANTRY  AND  SLAVERY  45 

Agathemer  and  will  him  a  sum  equivalent  to  the  net  proceeds 
of  the  repaid  rents,  less  the  costs  of  the  suit.  I  should  not 
have  been  surprised  if  he  had  made  him  a  present  of  the 
whole  farm  out  and  out.  Many  an  owner  has  done  more  for 
a  slave  who  had  done  less  for  him." 

"And  you  would  have  regarded  it  as  fair  if  your  uncle 
had  taken  any  of  those  methods  of  recompensing  Agath- 
emer ?" 

"Certainly !"  I  affirmed. 

"Then  why,  in  the  name  of  Mercury,"  he  demanded, 
"didn't  you  free  Agathemer  the  moment  the  will  was  read?" 

"I  have  told  you  over  and  over,"  I  retorted  impatiently, 
"that  my  uncle's  will  enjoined  me  not  to  free  Agathemer 
within  five  years,  though  he  also  enjoined  that  I  was  to  make 
a  new  will  at  once  so  as  to  leave  Agathemer  free  and  recom- 
pensed if  I  died  before  the  five  years  elapsed." 

"But  the  injunction  was  not  binding,"  Tanno  persisted, 
"either  in  law  or  by  religious  custom.  No  dead  man  can 
prevent  his  heirs  freeing  slaves  he  leaves  them.  Why  heed 
the  injunction?" 

"I  could  not  contravene  so  explicit  a  behest  of  the  dead," 
I  demurred,  "especially  of  a  man  I  loved  and  revered.  And 
you  must  recall  my  uncle's  queer  habit  of  acting  on  intui- 
tions and  the  way  he  expressed  them,  always  saying : 

"  'It  has  been  revealed  to  me  that.  .  .  /  And  his  intui- 
tions always  seemed  to  amount  to  prevision,  he  never  seemed 
to  have  acted  amiss,  however  eccentric  his  act,  however  base- 
less his  premonition.  I  have  a  feeling  that  in  Agathemer's 
case  he  acted  on  some  such  presentiment." 

Tanno  turned  to  Agathemer. 

"Do  you  feel  that  way  too?"  he  demanded. 

"I  most  certainly  do,"  said  Agathemer,  "I  have  a  feeling 
that  my  remaining  a  slave  is  going  to  be  of  vital  service  to 
Hedulio,  somehow,  sometime." 

"Then  you  are  content  to  remain  a  slave?"  Tanno  queried. 

"No  one  wants  to  remain  a  slave,"  Agathemer  confessed, 
"and  every  slave  longs  to  be  a  free  man  and  is  impatient  to 
be  free  at  once.  But  I  try  to  be  resigned,  of  course,  and, 


46  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

except  that  I  cannot  rejoice  in  not  being  free,  I  am  as  well 
fed,  clothed  and  housed  as  I  should  be  as  a  free  man  and 
have  as  much  leisure." 

Tanno  glowered  at  both  of  us. 

I  cut  in: 

"You  must  remember  that  Agathemer  was  raised  almost 
as  a  free  man  and  almost  as  my  brother.  We  slept  and 
played  together  from  the  time  we  could  walk.  We  had  the 
same  tutors,  always,  when  in  the  country,  both  in  Bruttium 
and  in  Sabinum.  In  Eome,  while  I  was  at  school,  Agathemer 
was  taught  the  same  subjects  at  home.  We  love  each  other 
almost  as  brothers.  Both  of  us  were  amazed  when  grand- 
father left  Agathemer  to  my  Uncle  instead  of  to  my  father 
or  to  me.  We  were  more  amazed  at  Uncle's  will.  But  as 
things  are  between  us,  Agathemer  not  only  looks  forward 
to  freedom  and  an  estate  within  five  years,  but  knows  that  his 
interval  of  waiting  will  be  pleasant,  as  pleasant  as  I  can 
make  it." 

"Rut"  Tanno  objected,  "think  of  the  danger  he  is  in 
while  a  slave.  For  instance,  just  suppose — (may  the  gods 
avert  the  omen) — that  you  were  murdered  in  your  bed  this 
very  night  and  no  clue  to  the  murderer  found.  Nothing 
could  save  Agathemer  from  being  tortured  along  with  all 
your  other  slaves." 

"Pooh  I"  I  cried.  "You  are  behind  the  times !  You  may 
be  an  unsurpassable  expert  on  dress  and  manners,  on  per- 
fumery and  jewels,  but  you  could  know  more  law.  All  those 
ferocious  old  statutes  have  been  abolished  by  the  enactments 
of  Antoninus  and  Aurelius.  A  slave,  during  good  behavior, 
is  almost  as  safe  as  a  freedman." 

"It  is  you,"  Tanno  countered,  "who  are  behind  the  times. 
Commodus  has  had  rescinded  every  edict  ameliorating  the 
condition  of  slaves  promulgated  since  the  accession  of  Trajan. 
As  Nerva  did  little  for  them  the  status  of  slaves  is  now 
practically  what  it  was  at  the  death  of  Domitfan." 

"Anyhow,"  spoke  up  Agathemer,  "whatever  real  or  fancied 
perils  hang  over  me,  by  my  late  master's  will  and  wish,  a 
slave  I  am  and  a  slave  I  remain  till  the  five  years  elapse* 


TENANTRY  AND  SLAVERY  47 

Even  thereafter  I  shall  be  Hedulio's  devoted  servitor,  mean- 
while I  am  his  devoted  slave." 

"Does  being  his  slave  inhibit  you  from  telling  the  truth 
about  him?"  Tanno  queried. 

"If  it  is  to  his  discredit,  certainly,"  Agathemer  answered. 

"Suppose  it  is  to  his  credit,  very  much  to  his  credit," 
Tanno  pursued. 

"Then  I  am  permitted  to  tell  the  truth,"  laughed 
Agathemer. 

"Then,"  said  Tanno,  "tell  us  the  whole  truth  about  Hedu- 
lio  and  Chryseros  Philargyrus  and  the  bull." 

Agathemer  laughed  out  loud. 

"Delighted  to  oblige  you,"  he  bowed. 

Tanno   looked   at  me. 

"Hedulio  is  blushing,"  he  said,  "this  promises  to  be  inter- 
esting. As  king  of  the  revels  I  forbid  Hedulio  from  inter- 
rupting. Everybody  drain  a  goblet.  Boy,  pour  a  goblet  for 
Agathemer.  Agathemer,  take  a  good  long  drink,  so  you 
may  start  in  good  voice.  And,  boy,  fill  his  goblet  again 
when  it  gets  low.  Keep  an  eye  on  it.  Begin,  Agathemer." 

"It  is  a  shorter  story  than  you  anticipate,"  Agathemer 
began. 

"Hedulio  and  I  had  completed  the  final  inspection  of  the 
estate.  We  had  begun  each  inspection  with  Chryseros'  farm 
and  had  taken  the  farms  in  rotation,  ending  up  with  Felig- 
er's.  We  had  inspected  Macer's  farm  in  the  morning,  had 
had  a  leisurely  bath,  lunch  and  snooze  and  had  ridden  out  to 
Feliger's.  After  looking  over  the  last  details  of  the  tool- 
sheds  and  henneries  we  were  riding  home  under  the  over- 
arching elms  down  Bran  Lane.  As  we  passed  Chryseros' 
entrance  we  heard  yells  for  help.  Hedulio  spurred  his  horse 
up  the  avenue  and  towards  the  yells,  I  after  him.  The 
yells  guided  us  to  the  lower  barn-yard  gate.  Hedulio  reined 
up  abruptly,  leaped  off,  leaving  me  to  catch  his  mare,  and 
vaulted  the  gate.  I  tethered  our  mounts  as  quickly  as  I 
could  and  climbed  the  gate.  I  saw  old  Chryseros  pinned 
against  the  wall  of  his  barley-barn,  in  between  the  horns  of 
his  white  bull.  The  points  of  the  bull's  horns  were  driven 


48  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

into  the  wood  of  the  barn  and  the  horns  were  so  long  that 
Chryseros  was  in  no  immediate  danger  of  being  crushed  be- 
tween the  bull's  forehead  and  the  barn  wall.  The  bull  was 
so  enraged  that  he  was  pushing  with  all  his  might,  puffing 
and  bellowing,  spraying  Chryseros'  legs  with  froth,  grunting 
and  lowing  between  bellows.  As  long  as  he  kept  on  pushing 
Chryseros  was  more  scared  than  hurt;  but,  sooner  or  later, 
the  bull  was  certain  to  draw  back,  lunge,  and  skewer  Chrys- 
eros on  one  or  the  other  of  his  horns. 

"When  I  first  saw  them  Chryseros  and  the  bull  were  as  I 
have  described.  Hedulio  was  twisting  the  bull's  tail. 

"The  bull  paid  no  more  attention  to  the  tail-twisting  than 
if  Hedulio  had  been  in  the  moon. 

"Hedulio  shouted  to  Chryseros  to  hold  tight  to  the  bull's 
horns,  as  he  was  already  doing,  and  to  stand  still.  He  let 
go  the  bull's  tail  and  turned  round.  Seeing  me,  he  ordered 
me  to  get  back  over  the  gate  and  to  stay  there.  He  looked 
about,  ran  to  the  stable  door,  peered  in,  went  in  and  re- 
turned with  a  manure  fork.  With  that  in  his  hand  he  ran 
back  to  the  bull  and  jabbed  him  with  the  fork. 

"Then  the  bull  did  roar.  He  backed  suddenly  away  from 
the  barn,  shaking  his  horns  loose  from  the  futile  grip 
Chryseros  had  on  them,  and  whirled  on  Hedulio.  Hedulio 
jabbed  him  in  the  neck  with  the  fork.  The  bull  bellowed 
with  rage,  it  seemed,  more  than  with  pain,  lowered  his  head 
and  charged  at  Hedulio. 

"Hedulio  side-stepped  as  deftly  as  a  professional  beast- 
fighter  in  an  amphitheatre  and  to  my  amazement,  well  as  I 
knew  him,  threw  away  the  fork. 

"The  bull's  rush  carried  him  almost  the  whole  breadth 
of  the  barn-yard.  When  he  turned  round  he  stood,  pawing 
the  ground,  shaking  his  head  and  bellowing.  I  never  saw 
a  bull  angrier-looking.  He  lowered  his  head  to  charge, 

"But  he  never  charged. 

"Hedulio  was  walking  toward  him  and  the  bull  just  stood 
and  pawed  and  bellowed  till  Hedulio  caught  hold  of  the 
ring  in  his  nose  and  led  him  off  to  his  pen. 

"Chryseros,  who  had  dodged  through  the  little  door  into 


TENANTRY  AND  SLAVERY  49 

the  barn  and  had  slammed  it  after  him,  had  peered  out  of 
it  just  before  Hedulio  reached  the  bull  and  had  stood,  mouth 
open,  hands  hanging,  letting  the  door  swing  wide  open. 

"Hedulio  led  the  bull  into  the  pen,  patted  him  on  the 
neck  and  then  turned  his  back  on  him  and  sauntered  out 
of  the  pen,  shutting  the  gate  without  hurry. 

"Chryseros  ran  to  him,  stumbling  as  he  ran,  fell  on  his 
knees,  caught  Hedulio's  hand,  and  poured  out  a  torrent  of 
thanks/' 

"Did  all  that  really  happen  ?"  Tanno  queried. 

"Precisely  as  I  have  told  it."     Agathemer  affirmed. 

"Well,"  said  Tanno,  "I  know  why  Caius  did  not  want  U 
tell  it.  He  knew  I'd  think  it  an  impudent  lie." 

"Don't  you  believe  it?"  Agathemer  asked,  respectfully. 

"WeO.,"  Tanno  drawled,  "I've  been  watching  the  faces  of 
the  audience.  Nobody  has  laughed  or  smiled  or  sneered. 
I'm  an  expert  on  curios  and  antiques  and  other  specialties, 
but  I  am  no  wiser  on  bulls  than  any  other  city  man.  So  1 
suppose  I  ought  to  believe  it.  But  it  struck  me,  while  I 
listened  to  you,  as  the  biggest  lie  I  ever  heard.  I  apologize 
for  my  incredulity." 

"It  would  be  incredible,"  said  Juventius  Muso,  "if  told  or 
any  one  except  Hedulio  and  it  would  probably  be  untrue. 
As  it  is  told  of  Hedulio  it  is  probably  true  and  also  entirely 
credible." 

"Why  of  Caius  any  more  than  any  one  else?"  querieo 
Tanno. 

Muso  stared  at  him. 

"I  beg  pardon/'  he  said,  "but  I  somehow  got  the  idea 
that  you  were  an  old  and  close  friend  of  our  host." 

"I  was  and  am,"  Tanno  asserted. 

"And  know  nothing,"  Muso  pressed  him,  "of  his  marvel- 
lous powers  over  animals  of  all  kinds,  even  over  birds  ana 
fish?" 

"Never  heard  he  had  any  such  powers."  Tanno  con- 
fessed. 

"How's  this,  Hedulio?"  Juventius  demanded  of  me. 

"I  suppose,"  I  said,  "that  Tanno  and  I  have  mostly  been 


50  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

together  at  Borne.  Animals  are  scarcer  there  than  in  the 
country  and  human  beings  more  plentiful.  He  knows  more 
of  my  dealings  with  men  and  women  than  with  other  crea- 
tures/' 

"Besides,"  Tanno  cut  in,  "you  must  all  remember  that 
our  Cains  not  only  never  boasts  but  is  absurdly  reticent  about 
anything  he  has  done  of  such  a  kind  that  most  men  would 
brag  of  it.  Towards  his  chums  and  cronies  he  is  open-hearted 
and  as  unreserved  as  a  friend  could  be  about  everything  else, 
but  especially  close  with  them  about  such  matters.  So  I 
know  nothing  of  his  powers  concerning  which  you  speak/' 

My  guests  cried  out  in  amazement,  all  talking  at  once. 

"I'm  king  of  the  revels,"  Tanno  reminded  them. 

"Juventius  was  talking;  let  him  say  his  say.  Everyone 
of  you  shall  talk  his  fill,  I  promise  you.  I  am  immensely 
interested  and  curious,  as  I  expect  to  hear  many  things 
which  I  should  have  heard  from  Caius  any  time  these  ten 
years.  Speak  out,  Juventius !" 

"Before  I  say  what  I  meant  to  say,"  Muso  began,  "I  want 
to  ask  some  questions.  What  you  have  just  told  me  has 
amazed  me  and  what  little  you  have  said  leaves  me  puzzled. 
Surely  there  are  dogs  in  Rome?" 

"Plenty,"  Tanno  assured  him. 

"Haven't  you  ever  seen  a  vicious  dog  fly  at  Hedulio?" 
Muso  pursued. 

"Many  a  time,"  Tanno  admitted. 

"Did  you  ever  see  one  bite  him?"  Muso  asked. 

"Never!"  Tanno  affirmed. 

"Can  you  recall  what  happened  ?"  queried  Muso. 

Tanno  rubbed  his  chin. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  he  said,  "that  every  time  I  saw  a  snarl- 
ing cur  or  an  open-mouthed  watch-dog  rush  at  Caius,  the  dog  I 
slowed  his  rush  before  he  reached  him,  circled  about  him, 
sniffing,  and  trotted  back  where  he  came  from." 

"Did  you  never  see  Hedulio  beckon  such  a  dog,  handle 
and  gentle  him,  even  pet  him." 

"Once  I  did,  as  I  now  recall,"  Tanno  confessed,  "yet  I 
thought  nothing  of  it  at  the  time  and  forgot  it  at  once." 


TENANTRY  AND  SLAVERY  51 

"Probably/'  Muso  conjectured,  "you  thought  the  dog  was 
only  pretending  to  be  cross  and  was  really  tame." 

"Just  about  that,  I  suppose,"  Tanno  ruminated. 

"Well/'  said  Muso,  "I  take  it  that  any  one  of  the  dogs  you 
saw  run  at  Hedulio  was  affected  by  him  just  as  was  the  bull 
this  afternoon;  each  began  by  acting  towards  him  as  he 
would  have  towards  any  other  man;  each  was  cowed  and 
rendered  mild  by  the  nearer  sight  of  him.  That  is  the  way 
Hedulio  affects  all  animals  whatever." 

"Tell  us  some  cases  you  have  seen  yourself/'  Tanno  sug- 
gested. 

"I  fear  your  skepticism,  even  your  derision/'  Muso  de»- 
murred. 

"I  haven't  a  trace  of  either  left  in  me  by  now/'  Tanno 
declared.  "What  you  say  has  knocked  the  mental  wind  out 
of  me,  so  to  speak,  and  I  see  that  the  others  feel  as  you  do 
and  seem  to  have  similar  ideas  to  express.  I  vow  I  believe 
you,  gentlemen,  though  something  inside  me  is  still  numb 
with  amazement.  Tell  us,  Juventius,  the  biggest  story  you 
know  of  these  alleged  powers  of  our  Caius." 

"I  told  you  so/'  said  Muso.  "In  spite  of  your  disclaimers 
you  slip  in  that  'alleged.'  I  don't  like  that  'alleged'  of  yours, 
Opsitius." 

"That  wasn't  mine."  Tanno  laughed.  "That  was  the 
numb  something  inside  me  talking  in  its  sleep.  I'm  all 
sympathetic  interest,  with  no  admixture  of  unbelief.  I  can 
see  you  have  startling  anecdotes  to  tell.  Tell  the  most 
startling." 

"The  most  startling,"  Juventius  began,  "I  most  sol- 
emnly aver  is  literally  true.  Hedulio  and  I  were  once  riding 
along  a  woodcutters'  road  through  the  forests  on  the  Aemilian 
estate,  in  the  wildest  portion  of  it.  The  road  forms  a  part 
of  a  good  short-cut  from  Villa  Aemilia  to  this  valley.  It 
was  hot  weather  and  very  dry.  We  were  both  thirsty.  There 
is  a  cool  and  abundant  spring  not  many  paces  up  a  steep 
path  on  the  left  of  that  road.  At  the  path  we  tethered  our 
horses  and  walked  to  the  spring.  When  we  had  quenched  our 
thirst  and  had  started  down  the  little  glade  below  the  spring 


52  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

we  saw  the  head  of  a  big  gray  wolf  appear  among  some  ferns 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  glade  by  the  path  on  our  left.  I 
stopped,  for  we  had  no  weapons.  Hedulio,  however,  went 
on,  never  altering  his  easy  saunter.  The  wolf  came  out  of 
the  ferns  and  paced  up  to  Hedulio  like  a  house  dog.  Hedulio 
patted  his  head,  pulled  his  ears  and  the  wolf  not  only  did 
not  attack  him  nor  snap  at  him,  nor  even  snarl,  but  showed 
his  pleasure  as  plainly  as  any  pet  dog.  When  Hedulio  had 
stopped  petting  him,  I  reached  them.  We  two  went  on  as 
if  we  were  alone,  leaving  the  wolf  standing  looking  after 
us  as  if  he  were  watch-dog  at  the  house  of  an  intimate 
friend." 

"Rome,"  said  Tanno,  when  Muso  paused,  "is  rated  the 
most  wonderful  place  on  earth.  Rome  is  my  home.  Rome 
rates  Sabinum  low,  except  for  olives,  wines,  oaks,  sheep  and 
mules.  Wonders  are  not  named  among  the  staple  products 
of  Sabinum.  Yet  I  come  to  Sabinum  for  the  first  time  and 
hear  wonders  such  as  I  never  dreamed  of  at  Rome." 

"And  you  are  only  at  the  beginning  of  such  wonders," 
spoke  up  Entedius  Hirnio.  "That  tale  of  Muso's  is  mild  to 
one  I  can  tell  and  I  take  oath  in  advance  to  every  word  of 
my  story." 

"Begin  it  then,  in  the  name  of  Hercules,"  Tanno  urged 
him.  "If  it  is  what  you  herald  we  cannot  have  it  too 
quickly." 

"When  Hedulio  and  I  were  hardly  more  than  boys," 
Hirnio  began,  "we  bird-nested  and  fished  and  hunted  and 
roamed  the  woods  like  any  pair  of  country  lads.  Parts  of  our 
woodland  hereabouts  are  wilder  than  anything  on  the 
Aemilian  estate,  and  we  liked  the  wildest  parts  best.  I  had 
an  uncle  at  Amiternum  and  it  happened  that  Hedulio'a 
uncle  allowed  him  to  go  with  me  once  when  my  father  visited 
his  brother.  My  uncle  had  a  farm  high  up  in  the  mountains 
east  of  Amiternum  and  Hedulio  and  I  there  revelled  in  wild- 
ness  wilder  than  anything  hereabouts.  We  had  no  fear  and 
ranged  the  hillsides,  ravines  and  pine-woods  eager  and  un- 
afraid. 

"High  up  the  mountains  we  blundered  on  a  bear's  den 


TENANTRY  AND  SLAVERY  53 

with  two  cubs  in  it.  They  were  old  enough  to  be  playful 
and  young  enough  not  to  be  fierce  or  dangerous.  I  was 
for  carrying  them  off,  but  Hedulio  said  that  if  the  mother 
returned  before  we  were  well  on  our  way  home  she  would 
certainly  catch  us  before  we  could  reach  a  place  of  safety 
and  we  should  certainly  be  killed. 

"  'We  had  better  stop  playing  with  these  fascinating  little 
brutes/  he  said,  'and  be  as  far  off  as  possible  before  she 
comes  back/ 

"Just  as  he  said  it  we  heard  twigs  snapping,  the  crash  of 
rent  underbrush,  and  I  looked  up  and  saw  the  bear  coming. 

"I  had  never  seen  a  wild  bear  till  then.  She  looked  to 
me  as  big  as  a  half  grown  calf,  and  as  fat  as  a  six-year-old 
sow.  She  came  like  a  race-horse.  Besides  my  instantaneous 
sense  of  her  size,  weight  and  speed,  I  saw  only  her  great 
red  mouth,  wide-open,  set  round  with  gleaming  white  teeth, 
from  "vrhich  came  a  snarl  like  the  roar  of  a  cataract. 

"I  sprang  to  the  nearest  tree  which  promised  a  refuge^ 
caught  the  lowest  boughs  and  scrambled  up,  the  angry  snarls 
of  the  bear  filling  my  ears.  As  I  reached  the  first  strong 
branch  the  snarls  stopped. 

"I  settled  myself  and  looked  down. 

"The  bear  was  standing  still,  some  paces  from  her  den, 
peering  at  it  and  snuffing  the  air,  working  her  nose  it 
seemed  to  me,  and  moving  her  head  from  side  to  side. 

"Hedulio  had  not  moved.  He  stood  just  where  I  had  left 
him,  one  cub  in  his  arms,  the  other  cuddled  at  his  feet. 

"The  bear,  growling  very  short,  almost  inaudible  growls, 
approached  him  slowly,  moving  only  one  foot  at  a  time 
and  pausing  before  she  lifted  another  foot.  She  sniffed  at 
the  cub  on  the  ground,  sniffed  at  Hedulio's  legs,  and  looked 
up  at  the  cub  in  his  arms.  She  made  a  sound  more  like  a 
whine  than  a  growl.  Hedulio  lowered  the  cub  and  she 
sniffed  at  it.  Then  Hedulio  caught  her  by  the  back  of  the 
neck.  She  did  not  snarl  but  yielded  to  his  pull  and  rolled 
over  on  her  side.  He  picked  up  the  cub  on  the  ground  and 
laid  both  by  her  nipples.  They  went  to  nursing  avidly, 
almost  like  little  pigs,  yet  also  somewhat  like  puppies.  He- 


54  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

dulio  sauntered  away  and  to  my  tree,  beckoned  me  down 
and  we  strolled  away  as  if  there  were  no  bear  near:  she  in 
fact  paying  no  attention  to  either  of  us  after  the  cubs  began 
nursing  her." 

Tanno  looked  wildly  about. 

''Boys,"  he  said,  "forgive  me  if  I  am  dazed,  and  don't  be 
insulted.  I  recall  that  Entedius  prefaced  his  narrative  with 
an  oath  to  its  veracity.  I  am  ready  to  believe  all  this  if  he 
reaffirms  it.  But  I  have  a  horrible  feeling  that  you  farmers 
think  you  have  caught  a  city  ignoramus  and  that  it  is  your 
duty  to  stuff  me  with  the  tallest  stories  you  can  invent. 
Please  set  me  right.  If  you  are  stuffing  me  the  joke  is  cer- 
tainly on  me,  for  these  incredible  tales  seem  true:  if  they 
are  true  the  joke  is  doubly  on  me.  As  I  am  the  butt,  either 
way,  don't  be  too  hard  on  me :  Please  set  me  right." 

They  chorused  at  him  that  they  had  all  heard  the  story, 
most  of  them  soon  after  the  marvel  took  place;  that  they 
had  always  believed  it,  and  believed  it  then.  I  corroborated 
Hirnio's  exactitude  as  to  all  the  details. 


CHAPTER  IV 

HOROSCOPES  AND  MARVELS 

TANNO  looked  about  again,  less  wildly,  but  still  like  a 
man  in  a  daze. 

"But,"  he  cried,  "if  y*u  do  such  wonders,  how  do  you  do 
them,  Caius?" 

"I  don't  know  now,"  I  said,  "any  more  than  I  knew  the 
first  time  I  gentled  a  fierce  strange  dog.  It  came  natural 
then,  it  always  has  come  natural." 

"Naturally,"  said  Lisius  Naepor,  "since  it  is  part  of  your 
nature  from  before  birth.  Do  you  mean  to  tell  us,  Opsitius, 
that  Hedulio  has  never  shown  you  his  horoscope?" 

"Never!"  said  Tanno,  "and  he  never  spoke  of  it  to  me. 
Pm  Spanish,  you  know,  by  ancestry,  and  Spaniards  are  not 


HOROSCOPES  AND  MARVELS  55 

Syrians  or  Egyptians.  Horoscopes  don't  figure  largely  in 
Spanish  life.  I  never  bothered  about  horoscopes,  I  suppose. 
So  I  never  mentioned  horoscopes  to  Hedulio  nor  he  to  me." 

"Nor  he  to  you  of  course/'  said  Neponius  Pomplio,  "he 
is  too  modest." 

"In  fact,"  said  Naepor.  "I  should  never  have  known  of 
Hedulio's  horoscope  if  his  uncle  had  not  shown  me  a  copy. 
Caius  has  never  mentioned  it,  unless  one  of  us  talked  of  it 
first." 

c 'What's  the  point  of  the  horoscope?"  Tanno  queried. 

fCWhj  you  see,"  Naepor  explained.  'TIedulio  was  born  in 
the  third  watch  of  the  night  on  the  Ides  of  September. 

"Now  it  is  well  known  that  persons  are  likely  to  be  com- 
petent trainers  of  animals  if  they  are  born  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Whale  or  of  the  Centaur  or  the  Lion  or  the  Scor- 
pion or  when  the  Lesser  Bear  rises  at  dawn  or  in  those 
watches  of  the  night  when  the  Great  Bear,  after  swinging 
low  in  the  northern  sky,  is  again  beginning  to  swing  upwards, 
or  at  those  hours  of  the  day  when,  as  it  can  be  established 
by  calculations,  the  Great  Bear,  though  invisible  in  the  glow 
of  the  sunlight,  is  in  that  part  of  its  circle  round  the  north- 
ern pole. 

"It  is  disputed  which  of  these  constellations  has  the  most 
powerful  influence,  but  it  is  generally  reckoned  that  the 
Whale  is  most  influential,  next  the  Centaur,  next  the  Lion, 
and  the  Scorpion  least  of  all,  while  the  dawn  rising  of 
the  Lesser  Bear  and  the  beginning  of  the  upward  motion 
of  the  Great  Bear  are  held  to  have  merely  auxiliary  influ- 
ence when  the  other  signs  are  favorable.  If  two  or  more 
of  these  are  at  one  and  the  same  time  powerful  in  the  sky 
at  the  moment  of  any  one's  birth,  he  will  be  an  unusually 
capable  animal-tamer,  the  more  puissant  according  as  more 
of  the  potent  stars  sliine  upon  his  birth. 

"It  is  manifest  that,  at  no  day  and  hour,  will  all  of  these 
signs  conspire  at  their  greatest  potency.  For  clearly,  for 
instance,  the  Lion  and  the  Scorpion,  being  both  in  the  Zodiac, 
and  being  separated  in  the  Zodiac  by  the  interposition  of  two 
«ntire  constellations,  can  never  be  in  the  ascendant  at  one 


56  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

and  the  same  time,  nor  can  one  be  near  the  ascendant  when 
the  other  is  in  that  position.  Yet  there  are  times  when  a 
majority  of  them  all  exert  their  most  potent  or  nearly  their 
most  potent  influence,  there  are  some  moments  when  their 
possible  combination  of  influences  is  nearly  at  its  maximum 
potency. 

"Now  the  day,  hour,  and  moment  of  Hedulio's  birth  is,  as 
astrologers  agree,  precisely  that  instant  of  the  entire  year 
when  the  stars  combine  their  magic  powers  with  their  most 
puissant  force  to  produce  their  greatest  possible  effect  on 
the  nature  of  a  child  born  at  that  instant,  in  order  that  he 
may  have  irresistible  sway  over  the  wills  of  all  fierce,  wild  and 
ferocious  animals. 

"Such,  from  his  birth  and  by  the  divine  might  of  his  birth- 
stars,  is  our  Hedulio." 

"After  all  that,"  said  Tanno,  "I  should  believe  anything. 
I  believe  the  tale  of  the  she-bear.  Who  has  another  to  tell  ?" 

"Before  anyone  begins  another  anecdote,"  said  Neponius 
Pomplio,  "I  want  to  state  my  opinion  that  Hedulio's  habitual 
and  instantaneous  subjugation  of  vicious  dogs  which  have 
never  before  set  eyes  on  him  and  his  miraculous  powers  of 
similarly  pacifying  such  wild  animals  as  bears  and  wolves, 
while  inexpressibly  marvellous,  is  no  more  wonderful,  if,  in 
fact,  as  wondrous  as  his  power  to  attract  to  him,  even  from 
a  great  distance,  creatures  naturally  solitary,  or  timorous." 

"It  is  strange,"  said  Juventius  Muso,  "that  I  should  have 
begun  by  telling  the  story  of  the  wolf  at  the  spring,  an  oc- 
currence of  which  I  was  the  only  witness,  instead  of  men- 
tioning first  Hedulio's  power  over  deer,  something  known  to 
all  of  us,  and  many  miracles  which  everyone  of  us  has 
seen.  I  suppose  we  each  thought  of  the  most  spectacular 
example  of  Hedulio's  powers  known  to  us,  whereas  he  had 
so  generally  handled  and  gentled  deer  that  we  instinctively 
regarded  that  as  commonplace." 

"I  think  you  are  right,"  said  Lisius  Naepor,  "for  Hedulio's 
ability  to  approach  a  doe  with  fawns  and  to  handle  the 
young  in  sight  of  the  moth  or  without  her  showing  any  sign 
<*f  alarm  or  concern,  is,  to  my  mind,  quite  as  marvellous  as 


HOROSCOPES  AND  MARVELS  57 

his  dealings  with  the  she-bear.  It  seems  to  me  as  miracu- 
lous to  overcome  the  timidity  of  the  doe  as  the  ferocity  of 
the  bear.  And  we  have  all  seen  him  play  with  fawns,  fawns 
so  young  that  they  had  barely  begun  to  follow  their  dam. 
We  have  all  seen  a  herd  of  deer  stand  placidly  and  let  him 
approach  them,  move  about  among  them,  handle  them.  We 
have  all  seen  him  handle  and  gentle  stags,  even  old  stags  in 
the  rutting  season.  There  is  no  gainsaying  our  Hedulio's 
power  over  animals,  it  is  a  matter  of  too  general  and  too 
common  knowledge." 

"I  have  seen  a  mole,"  said  Pisevius  Eusco,  "come  out  of 
its  burrow  at  dusk  and  eat  earth  worms  out  of  Hedulio's 
hand. 

"I"  said  Naepor,  "have  watched  him  catch  a  butterfly 
and,  holding  it  uncrushed,  walk  into  a  wood,  and  have  seen 
a  woodthrush  flutter  down  to  him,  take  the  butterfly  from 
his  fingers,  speed  away  with  it  to  feed  its  young  and  pres- 
ently return  to  his  empty  hand,  as  if  expecting  another  insect, 
perch  on  his  hand,  peck  at  it  and  remain  some  time;  and 
there  is  no  song-bird  more  fearful  of  mankind,  more  aloof, 
more  retiring,  more  secret  than  a  wood-thrush." 

Several  of  the  others  told  of  my  similarly  attracting  seed- 
eating  birds  with  handfuls  of  millet,  wheat  or  other  grains 
or  seeds;  of  squirrels,  anywhere  in  the  forests,  coming  down 
trees  to  me  and  taking  nuts  from  my  fingers. 

Bultius  Seclator  said: 

"I  have  seen  Hedulio  seat  himself  on  a  rock  in  the  sun- 
shine and  seen  a  golden  eagle,  circling  in  the  sky,  circle 
lower  and  lower  till  he  perched  on  Hedulio's  wrist  and  not 
only  perched  there,  but  sat  there  some  time,  preening  his 
feathers  as  if  alone  on  the  dead  topmost  limb  of  a  tall  tree, 
eye  Hedulio's  face  without  pecking  at  him  and  finally  take 
wing  and  leave  Hedulio's  arm  not  only  untorn  by  his 
talons,  but  unscratched,  without  even  a  mark  of  the  claw- 
points." 

Said  Mallius  Vulso: 

"Hedulio  has  a  way  of  catching  flies  with  a  quick  sweep 
of  his  hand.  I  have  seen  him  catch  a  fly  and  hold  him, 


58  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

buzzing  between  his  fingers  and  thumb  and  have  seen  a  liz- 
ard run  up  to  him  and  dart  at  the  fly/' 

"And  I,"  said  Lisius  Naepor,  "have  seen  fish  in  a  tank 
rise  to  his  hand  and  let  him  take  them  out  of  the  water, 
handle  them  and  slip  them  back  into  the  water  again,  all 
without  a  struggle." 

"More  wonderful  than  that/'  spoke  up  Juventius  Muso, 
"I  have  seen  lampreys  feed  from  his  hand  without  biting  it, 
and  I  have  even  seen  him  pick  up  lampreys  out  of  the  water 
without  their  attempting  to  bite  him.  I'll  wager  no  other 
man  ever  did  the  like." 

"True,"  ruminated  Naepor,  "Hedulio  can  pick  up  and 
handle  a  puff-adder  and  it  will  never  strike  at  him  and  he 
can  similarly  handle  any  kind  of  snake." 

"Weil/'  Tanno  summed  up,  after  they  had  talked  the 
subject  out,  "you  countrymen  beat  me.  Here  I've  been 
cronying  with  Caius  for  years  and  years  and  never  suspected 
any  such  wizardry  in  him." 

"May  I  speak  ?"  asked  Agathemer  from  his  stool,  where  he 
had  sat  silent,  sipping  his  wine  very  moderately  at  infrequent 
intervals. 

"Certainly,  man,"  said  Tanno,  "speak  up  if  you  have  any- 
thing to  tell  as  good  as  the  bull  story." 

"Although  I  know  my  master's  modesty."  Agathemer  said, 
"I  cannot  conceive  how  you  can  have  associated  with  him 
so  long  without  knowing  of  his  power  over  animals.  Have 
you  never  seen  him,  for  instance,  with  Nemestronia's 
leopard?" 

"Never  that  I  recall,"  said  Tanno,  "and  if  I  had  I  should 
have  thought  nothing  of  it.  Nemestronia's  leopard  has  been 
tame  since  it  learned  to  suck  milk  from  Nemestronia's  fin- 
gers, before  its  eyes  were  half  open.  It  always  has  been  tame 
and  is  tame  with  everybody,  not  only  with  all  Nemestronia's 
household,  not  only  with  frequenters  of  her  reception  rooms, 
but  also  with  casual  visitors,  total  strangers  to  it.  Nobody 
would  think  it  anything  wonderful  for  Hedulio  to  handle 
Nemestronia's  leopard." 

"I  do  not  mean  merely  handling,"  said  Agathemer  re- 


HOROSCOPES  AND  MARVELS  59 

spectfully.  "I  mean  something  quite  amazing  in  itself. 
And  that  leads  me  to  remark  that  none  of  you  gentlemen 
has  mentioned  or  referrred  to  what  I  regard  as  one  of  my 
master's  most  amazing  feats  and  one  which  he  has  repeated 
countless  times  in  the  presence  of  uncountable  witnesses:  I 
mean  taking  a  bone  away  from  a  vicious  dog  which  has  never 
seen  him  before.  I  think  that  amounts  to  a  portent,  or 
would  if  it  had  not  happened  so  often." 

"Incredible!"  cried  Tanno. 

Then  the  whole  room  broke  into  a  hubbub  of  confirma- 
tions and  corroborations  of  Agathemer's  statement. 

"I  give  in/'  Tanno  declared,  "now  for  the  leopard." 

"I  am  told,"  said  Agathemer,  "that  all  such  animals,  lions^ 
tigers,  leopards,  panthers  and  lynxes,  when  they  set  out  on 
their  nocturnal  prowlings,  intent  on  catching  prey,  have  the 
strange  habit  of  giving  notice  to  all  creatures  within  hearing 
that  they  are  about  to  begin  hunting,  by  a  series  of  roars, 
snarls,  squalls,  screams,  screeches  or  whatever  they  may  be 
properly  called  for  each  variety  of  animal. 

"Now  one  of  the  tricks  of  Nemestronia's  leopard,  which 
she  is  fond  of  exhibiting  to  her  guests,  is  its  method  of 
approaching  any  live  creature  exposed  to  its  mercy  for  its 
food.  If  a  kid,  hare,  lamb,  porker  or  what  not  is  turned 
into  one  of  Nemestronia's  walled  gardens  and  the  leopard 
let  in,  she  will,  at  first  sight  of  the  game,  crouch  belly-flat 
on  the  ground  and  give  out  a  really  appalling  series  of 
screams  or  whatever  they  should  be  called,  entirely  unlike 
any  other  noise  she  ever  makes.  Her  hunting-squall,  as 
Nemestronia  calls  it,  rises  and  falls  like  a  tune  on  an  organ, 
and  besides  changing  from  shriller  to  less  shrill  alters  in 
volume  from  louder  to  less  loud  and  louder  again.  It  is  an 
experience  to  hear  it,  for  it  is  like  no  sound  anyone  in 
Eome  ever  heard  and  is  unforgettable." 

"There  you  are  wrong/'  Tanno  cut  in.  "it  is  the  normal 
hunting  cry  of  a  leopard.  But  not  many  leopards  in  cap- 
tivity ever  give  it.  She  is  the  only  leopard  I  ever  heard 
give  it  in  captivity,  but  I  have  heard  it  in  the  deserts  south 
of  Gaetulia  and  Africa,  when  I  was  there  with  my  cohort, 


60  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

while  I  was  still  in  the  army.  And  let  me  tell  you  right 
here,  what  I  have  often  told  Nemestronia,  only  the  dear  self- 
willed  old  lady  will  not  listen  to  me  at  all,  there  will  he 
trouble  yet  with  that  leopard.  She  has  been  a  parlor  and 
bedroom  pet  from  birth  and  she  is  tame,  not  only  to  all 
!N"emestronia's  household  but  to  all  visitors.  But  the  mere 
fact  that  she  is  old  enough  to  give  her  hunting-squall  for 
email  game  is  warning  enough,  if  Nemestronia  would  only 
realize  it,  that  she  is  getting  fiercer  as  she  gets  older.  It's 
only  a  question  of  time,  no  matter  how  liberally  she  is  fed, 
that  she  will  turn  on  her  human  associates.  Possibly  she'll 
give  them  warning  with  her  hunting-squall,  and  precious 
little  help  it  will  be  towards  escaping  her,  but  most  likely 
she'll  just  turn  on  someone,  without  warning,  and  there'll 
be  a  corpse  and  a  pool  of  blood  on  the  floor  or  pavement. 
You  mark  my  words:  that  is  coming  as  sure  as  fate,  if 
Nemestronia  keeps  that  leopard  about  her  mansion." 

"That  may  all  be  true/'  Hirnio  cut  in,  "but  Opsitius,  do 
let  Agathemer  say  his  say,  whatever  it  may  be." 

"You  are  right  and  I  was  wrong,"  Tanno  admitted. 

"Proceed,  Agathemer." 

"Let  me  describe  her  behavior  fully,  for  the  sake  of  the 
others,"  Agathemer  resumed.  "When  she  sights  a  victim 
she  flattens  herself  out  on  the  ground  and  gives  her  long, 
quavering  squall.  If  the  victim  remains  stationary  she 
crawls  toward  it  very  slowly,  almost  imperceptibly,  moving 
one  paw  only  at  a  time.  If  it  runs  about  she  ceases  her 
advance  and  pivots  around  until  it  is  again  stationary  and 
she  facing  it.  She  keeps  that  up  until  she  is  within  spring- 
ing distance.  But  if  she  sees  it  near  a  gate  or  a  door  and 
apparently  trying  to  escape  through  that,  she  springs  and 
bounds  on  it.  Otherwise,  if  the  victim  keeps  quiet  and  still, 
she  spends  a  long  time  in  her  approach,  seeming  to  enjoy 
every  breath  she  draws  and  to  be  gloating  over  her  helpless 
prey." 

"Just  so,  gentlemen,"  Tanno  put  in,  "Agathemer  is  exact. 
I  have  seen  all  that  over  and  over." 


HOROSCOPES  AND  MARVELS  61 

"It  is  the  more  astonishing  to  me,"  Agathemer  went  on, 
"that  you  have  never  seen  Hedulio  divert  her  attention  and 
entice  her  away  from  her  victim,  even  when  she  is  within 
leaping  distance  and  ready  for  her  final  spring.  That,  to 
me,  is  the  only  thing  I  ever  saw  Hedulio  do  surpassing  his 
repeated  success  in  taking  a  bone  from  a  cross  dog  without 
resistance  from  the  dog/' 

"Never  saw  him  do  it,"  Tanno  declared.  "Never  heard 
of  it  from  Nemestronia,  and  she'll  talk  'leopard'  by  the  hour, 
if  you  let  her.  Never  suspected  any  such  sorcery  from  He- 
dulio. How  does  he  do  it?  Expound  his  methods/' 

"Very  simple/'  said  Agathemer.  "He  calls  to  her  or  he 
walks  in  front  of  her.  At  once  she  turns  her  attention  to 
him,  appears  to  forget  her  prey  altogether,  rubs  against  him, 
purrs,  lets  him  chafe  her  ears,  head  and  neck,  seems  to  beg 
for  more  chafing,  rolls  on  the  ground  by  him  and  invites 
him  to  play  with  her.  Sometimes  she  seems  to  insist  on  his 
playing  with  her  and  to  threaten  to  lose  her  temper  unless 
he  does  play  with  her." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  playing  with  her?"  Tanno  queried. 

"Have  you  ever  seen  any  of  these  little  Egyptian  cats 
which  some  folks  have  nowadays  for  pets  ?"  Agathemer  asked 
in  his  turn.  "Creatures  about  as  long  as  your  forearm  and 
rather  gentle?" 

"Certainly,"  said  Tanno.  "I've  seen  a  number  of  them 
at  ultra-fashionable  mansions  of  the  fast  set,  who  must  have 
the  latest  novelty." 

"Ever  see  any  of  their  kittens?"  Agathemer  asked. 

"Two  or  three  times  I  have,"  Tanno  replied.  "Amusing, 
fluffy  little  creatures,  not  much  bigger  than  a  man's  hand/' 

"Ever  see  one  play  with  a  ball?"  Agathemer  asked. 

Tanno  laughed. 

"Run  after  a  ball,  you  mean,"  he  said,  "slap  it  first  with 
one  paw  and  then  with  the  other,  bound  after  it  and  all 
that?" 

"No,"  said  Agathemer,  "I  do  not  mean  that  way;  I  mean 
the  way  a  kitten  will  pretend  that  a  ball  is  another  kitten, 


62  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 


lie  on  the  floor  with  the  ball  between  its  paws,  will 
kick  it  with  its  hind  feet  and  paw  at  it  with  its  forefeet  and 
yet  not  really  claw  it." 

"I've  seen  that,  too,"  said  Tanno. 

"Well,"  said  Agathemer,  "Hedulio  acts  as  the  ball  or  the 
other  kitten  for  that  big  leopard.  He  lies  down  on  the 
pavement  by  her  and  they  tussle  like  two  puppies,  only  it 
is  cat-play  not  dog-play.  Hedulio  kicks  and  slaps  the  leop- 
ard and  she  kicks  and  slaps  him,  and  they  are  all  mixed  up 
like  a  pair  of  wrestlers,  and  she  growls  and  mouths  his 
hands  and  arms  and  shoulders,  yet  she  never  bites  or  claws 
him,  does  all  that  clawing  of  him  with  her  claws  sheathed; 
never  hurts  him,  and,  when  she  has  had  enough  play,  lets 
him  lead  her  off  to  her  cage." 

"Miraculous  !"  cried  Tanno,  "but  beastly  undignified. 
Fancy  a  Roman,  of  equestrian  rank,  moving  in  Rome's  best 
society  circles,  a  friend  of  the  Emperor,  sprawling  on  a 
pavement  playing  with  a  stinking  leopard,  letting  her  tousle 
him  and  rumple  his  clothes,  and  letting  her  slobber  her  foul 
saliva  all  over  his  arms  and  shoulders!  Fm  ashamed  ot 
you,  Hedulio!" 

"Nothing  to  be  ashamed  of  !"  I  said.  "I  thought  it  fun, 
every  time  I  have  done  it,  and  I  did  it  only  for  Nemestronia 
and  a  few  of  her  intimates,  never  before  any  large  gathering.** 

"I  should  hope  not!"  Tanno  cried,  "and  I  trust  you  will 
never  try  it  again.  It's  disgraceful  !  And  it's  too  risky.  If 
you  keep  it  up  some  fine  day  she'll  slash  the  face  off  you 
or  bite  your  whole  head  off  at  one  snap." 

I  was  surprised  and  abashed  at  Tanno's  reception  of  the 
leopard  story  and  Agathemer  seemed  similarly  affected  and 
more  so  than  I.  He  tried  to  start  a  diversion. 

"Most  marvellous  of  all  Hedulio's  exploits,"  he  said,  "I 
account  his  encounter  with  the  piebald  horse." 

"Tell  us  about  it,"  said  Tanno.  "Horse-training  is,  at 
least,  and  always,  an  activity  fit  for  a  gentleman  and  wholly 
decent  and  respectable." 

"It  happened  last  year,"  said  Agathemer,  "in  the  autumn, 
before  Andivius  died;  in  fact,  before  we  had  any  reason  to 


HOROSCOPES  AND  MARVELS  6T 

dread  that  the  end  of  his  life  was  near.  Entedius  saw  it, 
perhaps  he  would  be  a  more  suitable  narrator  than  I." 

"Go  on/'  said  Hirnio,  "I'd  rather  listen  to  you  than  talk 
myself." 

Agathemer  resumed. 

"We  were  at  Reate  Fair.  You  know  how  such  festivals 
are  always  attended  by  horse-dealers  and  all  sorts  of  such 
cheats  and  mountebanks.  There  was  a  plausible  and  in- 
gratiating horse-dealer  with  some  good  horses.  Entedius 
bought  one  and  has  it  yet." 

"And  no  complaints  to  make,"  said  Hirnio,  "the  brute 
was  as  represented  and  has  given  satisfaction  in  every 
way." 

"Some  others  in  our  party  bought  horses  of  him  also." 
Agathemer  continued.  "Later,  when  the  sports  were  on,  he 
brought  out  a  tall,  long-barrelled  piebald  horse,  rather  a  well- 
shaped  beast,  and  one  which  would  have  been  handsome  had 
he  been  cream  or  bay.  He  showed  off  his  paces  and  then 
offered  him  as  a  free  gift  to  anyone  who  could  stick  on 
him  without  a  fall.  Several  farm-lads  tried  and  he  threw 
them  by  simple  buckings  and  rearings.  Some  more  ex- 
perienced horse-wranglers  tried,  but  he  threw  one  after  the 
other. 

"Then  there  came  forward  Blaesus  Agellus,  the  best  horse- 
master  about  Reate.  He  had  watched  till  he  thought  he 
knew  all  the  young  stallion's  tricks.  No  kicking,  rearing 
or  bucking  could  unseat  him  and  the  beast  tried  several 
unusual  and  bizarre  contortions.  Blaesus  stuck  on.  Then 
the  horse-dealer  seemed  to  give  a  signal,  as  the  horse  can- 
tered tamely  round  the  ring. 

"Instantly  the  horse,  without  any  motion  which  gave  warn- 
ing of  what  he  was  about  to  do,  threw  himself  sideways  flat 
on  the  ground. 

"Blaesus  was  stunned  and  his  right  leg  badly  bruised, 
though  not  broken. 

"The  owner  gloried  in  his  treasure  and  boasted  of  hia 
control  over  the  horse,  even  at  a  distance. 

"Then  Hedulio  came  forward.     The  crowd  was  visibly 


64-  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

amazed  to  see  a  young  nobleman  put  himself  on  a  level  with 
the  commonality.  But  they  all  knew  Hedulio's  affable  ways 
and  there  were  no  hoots  or  jeers. 

"Hedulio  examined  the  horse  carefully,  fetlocks,  hoofs, 
mouth  and  all.  Then  he  gentled  and  patted  it.  When  he 
vaulted  into  the  saddle,  the  brute  did  a  little  rearing,  kick- 
ing and  bucking,  but  soon  quieted. 

"Hedulio  trotted  him  round  the  ring,  calling  to  the  owner : 

"'I  dare  you  to  try  all  your  signals/ 

"The  owner  seemed  to  try,  at  first  far  back  in  the  crowd, 
so  confident  was  he  of  his  control  of  the  horse,  then  nearer, 
then  standing  in  the  front  row  of  spectators. 

"The  horse  remained  quiet. 

"So  Hedulio  rode  him  home  and  all  at  the  villa  acclaimed 
the  horse  a  great  prize. 

"The  marvel  was  that  he  was  only  a  two-year-old,  as  all  ex- 
perts agreed.  I  have  seen  many  trick  horses,  but  seldom 
a  good  trick  horse  under  eight  years  old  and  never  a  well- 
trained  trick  horse  under  four  years  old.  This  was  barely 
two." 

"Is  he  still  in  your  stables?"  Tanno  asked. 

"Let  Agathemer  finish  his  tale,"  I  replied. 

"Two  mornings  afterward,"  Agathemer  summed  up,  "we 
found  the  stable  was  broken  into  and  the  young  stallion 
gone.  No  other  horse  had  been  stolen." 

"Just  what  might  have  been  expected,"  said  Tanno,  "and 
now,  as  king  of  the  revels,  I  pronounce  this  symposium  at  an 
end.  I  mean  to  be  up  by  dawn  and  to  get  Hedulio  up  soon 
after  I  am  awake.  I  mean  to  start  back  for  Eome  with  him 
as  soon  after  dawn  as  I  can  arrange.  You  other  gentlemen 
can  sleep  as  late  as  you  like,  of  course." 

"I'm  geing  with  you,"  Hirnio  cut  in.  "I  came  prepared, 
with  my  servant  and  led-mule  loaded  with  my  outfit.  I'm 
to  be  up  as  soon  as  you  two." 

"Let's  all  turn  in,"  Tanno  proposed. 

Mallius  Vulso  and  Neponius  Pomplio,  who  lived  nearest 
me,  declared  their  intention  of  riding  home  in  the  moon- 
light. 


HOROSCOPES  AND  MARVELS  65 

The  others  discussed  whether  they  should  also  go  home  or 
sleep  in  the  rooms  ready  for  them.  I  urged  them  to  stay, 
tut  finally,  they  all  decided  to  ride  home. 

Agathemer  went  to  give  orders  for  their  horses  to  be 
brought  round. 

"By  the  way,  Caius,"  Tanno  asked,  "how  are  you  going  to 
travel?" 

"On  horseback,"  I  replied. 

"Why  not  in  your  carriage?"  he  queried.  "I  was  hoping 
to  ride  with  you  to  the  Via  Solaria,  at  least,  unless  your  roads 
jolt  a  carriage  as  badly  as  bearers  on  them  jolt  a  litter. 
What's  wrong  with  the  superperfect  travelling  carriage  of 
your  late  "Uncle?" 

"I  have  lent  it,"  I  explained,  "to  Marcus  Martius,  to 
travel  to  Koine  in  with  his  bride.  I  wrote  you  of  his  wed- 
ding. He  has  just  married  my  uncle's  freedwoman  Marcia. 
I  wrote  you  about  it."  ••*'! 

"Pooh!"  cried  Tanno,  "how  should  I  remember  the  mar- 
riage of  a  freedwoman  I  never  saw  with  a  bumpkin  I  never 
heard  of?" 

"No  bumpkin,"  cut  in  Lisius  Naepor.  "Not  any  more 
of  a  bumpkin  than  I  or  any  of  the  rest  of  us  here.  You  are 
too  high  and  mighty,  Opsitius.  It  is  true  that  in  our  coun- 
tryside the  only  senators  are  Aemilius,  Vedius  and  Satronius, 
and  that  in  our  immediate  vicinity  Hirnio  and  Hedulio 
are  the  only  proprietors  of  equestrian  rank  but  we  com- 
moners here  are  no  bumpkins  or  clodhoppers." 

"I  apologize,"  Tanno  spoke  conciliatingly.  "You  are 
right  to  call  me  down.  We  Eomans  of  Eome  really  know  the 
worth  of  farmers  and  provincials  and  the  like.  But  we  are 
so  used,  among  ourselves,  to  thinking  of  Eome  as  the  whole 
world,  that  our  speech  belies  our  esteem  for  our  equals.  I 
should  not  have  spoken  so.  Who  is  Marcus  Martius,  Caius, 
and  who  is  Marcia?" 

"Marcus  Martius,"  I  said,  "is  a  local  landowner  like  the 
rest  of  us.  He  would  have  been  here  to-night  but  for  his 
recent  marriage  and  approaching  journey  to  Eome.  I  have 
always  asked  him  to  my  dinners." 


66  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"Then  how,  in  the  name  of  Ops  Consiva,"  cried  Tanno, 
"did  he  come  to  marry  your  uncle's  freedwoman?" 

"This  time  I  agree  with  you,  Opsitius,"  said  Naepor. 
"Your  tone  of  scorn  is  wholly  justified.  Marrying  freed- 
women  is  getting  far  too  common.  If  things  go  on  this 
way  there  will  be  no  Roman  nobility  nor  gentry  nor  even 
any  Eoman  commonality;  just  a  wish- wash  of  counterfeit 
Eomans,  nine-tenths  foreign  in  ancestry,  with  just  enough 
of  a  dash  of  Eoman  blood  to  bequeath  them  our  weaknesses 
and  vices." 

"On  the  other  hand,"  said  Juventius  Muso,  "while  agree- 
ing with  Naepor  as  to  the  propriety  of  the  tone,  I  object 
to  the  question.  Instead  of  asking  how  Martius  came  to 
marry  Marcia,  had  you  been  acquainted  Tilth  the  recent 
past  history  of  this  neighborhood,  Opsitius,  you  would  have 
asked  how  most  of  the  rest  of  us  managed  to  escape  marrying 
her." 

"A  freedwoman !"  cried  Tanno. 

"A  most  unusual  freedwoman,"  Hirnio  asserted,  "as  she 
was  almost  a  portent  as  a  slave-girl.  Haven't  you  ever 
heard  of  her,  Opsitius?" 

"We  Eomans,"  Tanno  bantered,  "are  lamentably  ignorant 
on  the  life-histories  of  brood-sows,  slave-girls,  prize-heifers 
and  such-like  notabilities  of  Sabinum." 

"She  is  no  Sabine,"  Hirnio  retorted,  "but,  as  far  as  the 
locality  of  her  birth  and  upbringing  goes,  is  as  Eoman  as 
you  are.  Did  you  never  hear  of  Ummidius  Quadratus?" 

"Hush !"  Tanno  breathed.  "I  have  heard  of  the  man  you 
have  named,  heard  of  him  on  the  deaf  side  of  my  head,  as 
did  all  Eome.  But,  in  the  name  of  Minerva,  do  not  utter 
his  name.  It  is  best  forgotten.  Even  so  long  after  his  exe- 
cution and  so  far  from  Eome,  the  mention  of  the  name  of 
anyone  implicated  as  he  was  might  have  most  unfortunate 
results." 

"Not  here  and  among  us,"  Hirnio  declared.  "The  point 
is  that  Quadratus  had  a  eunuch  less  worthless  than  most 
eunuchs.  He  became  a  very  clever  surgeon  and  physician, 
and  endeared  himself  to  Quadratus  by  many  cures  among  his 


HOROSCOPES  AND  MARVELS  67 

countless  slaves,  and  even  among  his  kin.  Quadratus  made 
him  his  chief  physician  and  trusted  him  utterly.  Naturally 
he  let  him  set  up  an  establishment  of  his  own,  allowing  him 
to  select  a  location.  Hyacinthus,  for  that  is  the  eunuch's 
name,  instead  of  choosing  for  a  home  any  one  of  a  dozen 
desirable  neighborhoods  well  within  his  means  with  the  lib- 
eral allowance  Quadratus  gave  him,  settled  in  a  peculiarly 
vile  slum,  because,  as  he  said,  his  associates  mostly  lived 
there ;  meaning  by  his  associates  the  votaries  of  some  sort  of 
Syrian  cult,  chiefly  peddlers  and  such,  living  like  ants  or 
maggots,  all  packed  together  in  the  rookeries  of  that  quarter. 

"Hyacinthus  was  not  only  a  member  of  their  sect,  but  their 
hierophant,  or  whatever  they  call  it,  and  presided  at  the 
ceremonies  of  their  religion  at  their  little  temple  somewhere 
in  the  same  part  of  the  city. 

"He  divided  his  energies  between  his  calling  of  surgeon, 
at  which  he  prospered  amazingly,  and  his  avocation  of  hiero- 
phant. 

"As  head  of  their  cult  it  fell  to  him  to  care  for  the 
orphans  of  their  poorer  families  and  for  foundlings,  for  such 
Asiatics  never  expose  infants  or  fail  to  succor  exposed  in- 
fants. 

"Marcia  was  a  foundling  and  brought  up  by  Hyacinthus, 
therefore,  legally  a  slave  of  Quadratus. 

"Quadratus  saw  her  and  took  a  fancy  to  her.  He  had  her 
taught  not  only  dancing,  music  and  such  accomplishments, 
but  had  her  educated  almost  as  if  she  had  been  his  niece  or 
daughter. 

"When  she  was  yet  but  a  half -grown  girl,  she  had  acquired 
such  a  hold  on  him  that  he  used  to  bewail  it.  What  was 
it  he  said,  Hedulio?" 

"I  have  heard  him  say  to  my  uncle,"  I  said,  "that  Marcia 
was  as  imperious  as  if  she  were  Empress  and  that  living 
with  her  was  as  bad  as  being  married.  Quadratus  was  born 
to  be  a  bachelor  and  never  thought  of  matrimony.  But 
though  he  had  solaced  himself  with  a  long  series  of  beauties 
in  all  previous  cases  his  word  had  been  law  and  not  one  of 
his  concubines  had  had  any  will  of  her  own.  Marcia's  word 


68  ANDIVIUS  KEDULIO 

was  law  to  him,  even  her  tone  or  look.  She  had  wheedled 
him  into  lavishing  on  her  flowers,  perfumery,  jewels,  an 
incredibly  varied  and  costly  wardrobe,  maids,  masseuses, 
bathgirls,  a  mob  of  waiters,  cooks,  doorkeepers,  litter-bearers 
and  what  not  and  the  most  costly  equipages. 

"He  groaned,  but  was  too  infatuated  to  deny  her  any- 
thing. 

"My  uncle  sympathized  with  him  and,  with  the  idea  of 
disabusing  him  of  his  folly,  somehow,  while  visiting  him,  saw 
'Marcia. 

"Uncle  at  once  fell  madly  in  love  with  her. 

"Hie  offered  to  buy  her. 

"That  was  just  before  Quadratus  became  involved  in  the 
intrigues  radiating  from  Lucilla's  conspiracy,  was  impli- 
cated in  the  conspiracy  itself  and  so  disgraced  and  executed. 

"Marcia  seems  to  have  had  some  prevision  or  inkling  of 
what  was  coming.  Anyhow  she  could  not  have  acted  more 
for  her  own  interest  if  she  had  had  accurate  information  of 
what  was  impending.  She  cajoled  Uncle  into  buying  her 
and  coaxed  Quadratus  into  selling  her. 

"  'Take  her/  Quadratus  told  him,  'at  your  own  price.  If 
you  don't  or  if  somebody  else  don't  free  me  from  this  vam- 
pire, I'll  be  fool  enough  to  manumit  her  and  marry  her  as 
soon  as  she  is  free!' 

"Uncle  brought  her  up  here. 

"Did  she  wail  at  leaving  Home  and  mourn  over  seclusion 
in  our  hills?  Not  she. 

"She  made  as  big  a  fool  of  Uncle  as  she  had  of  Quadratus. 

"He,  with  his  ill  health  and  his  frequent  illnesses,  got 
as  much  satisfaction  out  of  Marcia  as  a  blind  man  would  get 
from  a  painting.  But  he  indulged  her  far  beyond  his  means. 
He  gave  her  the  little  west  villa  for  her  home,  and  a  small 
horde  of  servants.  She  wheedled  him  into  freeing  her  and 
then,  from  the  day  she  was  freed,  set  herself  to  marry  and 
marry  well.  She  had  every  bachelor  and  widower  here- 
abouts visiting  her,  dangling  about  her,  competing  for  her 
smiles,  showering  gifts  on  her,  soliciting  her  favor! 


HOROSCOPES  AND  MARVELS  69 

*When  they  found,  one  by  one,  that  the  only  road  to  her 
favors  was  by  matrimony,  they  sheered  off  in  terror,  one  by 
one. 

"She  nearly  married  Vedius  Caspo,  came  almost  as  near 
with  Satronius  Sabinus. 

"Then,  when  she  saw  no  hope  left  of  a  senator,  she  almost 
landed  Hirnio,  tried  to  marry  Uncle,  and  tried  to  marry  me." 

"And  just  missed  all  three,"  said  Hirnio,  fervently.  "I 
am  still  equally  congratulating  myself  on  my  escape  and 
wondering  over  it.  I  was  sure  Andivius  would  marry  her, 
sure  of  it  until  his  last  illness  made  it  impossible.  And  I 
feared  for  our  Hedulio  here. 

"The  only  man  hereabouts  whom  she  did  not  try  to  marry 
was  Ducconius  Furfur.  She  had  made  eyes  at  his  father, 
and  Ducconius  was  precious  afraid  she  would  be  his  step- 
mother. At  first  he  railed  at  her.  Then,  just  before  his 
father's  death,  it  was  manifest  to  everybody  that  he  was 
yielding  to  her  fascinations,  himself.  Hardly  was  old  Duc- 
conius buried  when  young  Furfur  lost  his  head  completely 
and  fell  madly  in  love  with  Marcia.  She  could  have  married 
him  easily;  in  fact,  he  offered  marriage,  not  only  to  her  in 
private,  but  before  witnesses.  She,  for  some  reason,  would 
not  hear  of  marrying  him.  In  fact,  Furfur,  it  seems,  was 
the  only  bachelor  hereabouts  whom  she  was  unwilling  to 
marry.  She  flouted  him,  derided  him,  and  finally  forbade 
him  her  house  and  ordered  him  never  to  dare  to  approach 
her.  He  kept  away,  sulky  and  morose  and  low-spirited. 

"After  that  episode  she  had  a  go  at  Muso,  the  only  other 
bachelor  among  us  seven. 

"Finally  she  fastened  on  Marcus  Martius,  who  is  not  quite 
as  rich  as  Muso,  but  yet  comfortably  well  off.  She  married 
him  day  before  yesterday." 

"Thanks  be  to  Hercules,"  Tanno  cried,  "that  I  have  never 
set  eyes  on  the  jade.  I'm  for  matrimony  only  with  an  heir- 
ess of  my  own  class  and  only  with  such  an  heiress  as  I 
personally  fancy.  No  matrimony  for  me  otherwise." 

With  this  the  party  broke  up.    We  all  went  out  on  the 


70  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

terrace.  My  six  neighbors  mounted  and  cantered  off  on 
their  various  roads  home;  Tanno,  Hirnio  and  I  went  in  and 
to  bed. 


CHAPTEE  Y 

ENCOUNTERS 

NEXT  morning  I  was  wakened  by  a  dash  of  cold  water 
over  me  and  sat  up  in  bed  dripping  and  angry.  Tanno 
was  bending  over  me. 

"I  had  to  souse  you,"  he  explained.  "Fve  been  shaking 
you  and  yelling  at  you  and  you  stayed  as  fast  asleep  as 
before  I  touched  you.  Get  up  and  let's  start  for  Rome." 

We  enjoyed  a  brief  rubdown  and  after  Entedius  joined 
us  each  relished  a  small  cup  of  mulled  wine  and  one  of 
Ofatulena's  delicious  little  hot,  crisp  rolls. 

In  the  east  courtyard  we  found  our  equipages  and  I  de- 
scried my  tenants  outside  the  gate,  all  horsed  and  each  muf- 
fled in  a  close  rain-cloak,  topped  off  by  a  big  umbrella  hat, 
its  wide  brim  dripping  all  round  its  edge,  for  the  weather 
was  atrocious;  foggy  mist  blanketing  all  the  world  under  a 
gray  sky  from  which  descended  a  thin,  chilly  drizzle. 

Hirnio  was  inspecting  Tanno's  litter  and  chatting  with 
Tanno  about  it. 

"Never  saw  one  with  poles  like  this/'  he  said.  "All  I 
have  seen  had  one  long  pole  on  each  side,  a  continuous  bar  of 
wood  from  end  to  end.  What's  the  idea  of  four  poles,  half 
poles  you  might  call  them,  two  on  a  side  ?" 

"You  see/'  Tanno  explained.  "It  is  far  harder  to  get 
sound,  flawless,  perfect  poles  full  length.  Then,  too,  full- 
length  spare  poles  are  very  bothersome  and  inconvenient  to 
carry.  With  a  litter  equipped  in  this  fashion  one  man  can 
carry  a  spare  pole,  and  they  are  much  easier  and  quicker  to 
put  in  if  a  pole  snaps." 

"I  should  think,"  Hirnio  remarked,  "that  the  half-poles 
would  pull  out  of  the  sockets." 


ENCOUNTERS  71 

"Not  a  bit/'  said  Tanno,  "they  clamp  in  at  the  end,  this 
way.  See?  The  clamps  fasten  instantly  and  release  at  a 
touch,  but  hold  tenaciously  when  shut." 

Under  the  arcade  my  household  had  gathered  to  say  fare- 
well and  wish  me  good  luck.  I  spoke  briefly  to  each  and 
thanked  Ofatulena  for  her  distinguished  cookery,  both  in 
respect  to  the  credit  her  masterpieces  had  done  me  at  dinner 
and  also  for  the  taste  of  her  rolls,  which  yet  lingered  in 
mouth  and  memory.  Tanno  also  expressed  his  admiration 
of  her  powers. 

Last  I  said  farewell  to  my  old  nurse  and  foster  mother 
Uturia,  who,  when  I  was  scarcely  a  year  old,  had  closed  the 
eyes  of  my  dying  mother,  and  not  much  later  of  my  father, 
and  who  had  not  merely  suckled  me,  but  had  been  almost 
as  my  real  mother  to  me  in  my  childhood. 

She  could  not  keep  back  her  tears,  as  always  at  our  part- 
ings; the  more  as  she  had  had  dreams  the  night  before  and 
she  took  her  dreams  very  seriously. 

"Deary,"  she  sobbed,  "it  has  been  revealed  to  me  that  you 
go  into  great  perils  when  you  set  out  to-day.  I  saw  danger 
all  about  you,  danger  from  men  and  danger  from  beasts. 
Beware  of  strangers,  of  narrow  streets,  of  walled  gardens, 
of  plots,  of  secret  conferences.  All  these  threaten  you  espe- 
cially." 

I  kissed  her  as  heartily  as  if  she  had  been  my  own  mother. 

"Don't  worry,  Uturia/'  I  said,  "as  long  as  I  live  I'll  take 
care  of  you  and  if  I  die  you  shall  be  a  free  woman  with  a 
cottage  and  garden  and  three  slaves  of  your  own." 

But  she  only  sobbed  harder,  both  as  she  clung  to  me  and 
after  I  had  mounted. 

Tanno,  of  course,  rolled  into  his  litter  and  slid  the  panels 
against  the  rain.  His  bearers  were  muffled  up  precisely  like 
my  tenants.  So  was  Tanno's  intendant,  so  was  Hirnio,  so 
was  I.  The  entire  caravan  was  a  mere  column  of  horses, 
cloaks  and  hats,  not  a  man  visible,  all  the  faces  hid  under 
the  flapping  hat-brims,  no  man  recognizable. 

Hirnio  and  I  led,  next  came  Tanno  in  his  litter,  then  his 
extra  bearers,  next  his  intendant  on  horseback,  then  my  nine 


72  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

tenants,  each,  horsed  and  leading  a  pack-mule,  last  the 
mounted  servants,  Tanno's,  Hirnio' s  and  mine,  similarly 
leading  pack-mules,  in  all  twenty-seven  men  afoot,  sixteen 
mounted  and  twelve  led  mules. 

As  we  strung  out  Tanno  called  to  me: 

"Luck  for  us  if  we  don't  blunder  into  one  of  those  am- 
bushes we  heard  about  at  dinner  last  night.  With  all  this 
cavalcade  everybody  we  meet  cannot  fail  to  conjecture  that 
so  large  a  party  can  only  be  from  either  Villa  Vedia  or 
Villa  Satronia,  such  an  escort  misbefits  anyone  not  of  sena- 
torial rank.  If  we  do  blunder  into  an  ambush  either  side 
will  know  we  are  not  their  men  and  will  assume  we  are  of 
the  other  party.  No  one  can  recognize  anybody  in  this  wet- 
weather  rig.  Any  ambush  will  attack  first  and  investigate 
afterwards  or  not  at  all/' 

Had  I  heeded  his  chance  words  I  might,  even  then,  have 
saved  myself.  But  while  my  ears  heard  him  my  wits  were 
deaf.  I  called  back: 

"There  are  no  ambushes.  Each  side  spreads  such  rumors 
to  discredit  the  other,  but  neither  so  much  as  thinks  of 
ambush.  If  Xantha  or  Greia  is  located,  the  clan  concerned 
for  her  freedom  will  gather  a  rescue-party  and  there  may 
be  fight  over  her,  but  there  are  no  ambushes." 

At  the  foot  of  my  road  Hirnio  and  I  turned  to  our  left. 
Tanno  from  his  litter  emitted  a  howl  of  protest. 

"Nothing,"  he  yelled,  "will  induce  me  to  traverse  that 
road  again.  I  told  you  so.  You  promised  to  take  the  other 
road.  What  do  you  mean?" 

"Don't  worry,  Opsitius,"  Hirnio  reassured  him.  "We 
turned  instinctively  according  to  habit.  You  shall  have  your 
way.  It  is  not  much  farther  by  the  other  road." 

"Anyhow,"  I  added,  "Martius  is  not  in  sight.  He  was 
to  have  been  here  before  us.  If  we  went  this  way  we  should 
have  to  wait  for  him.  If  we  go  the  other  we  shall  most  likely 
meet  him  at  the  fork  of  the  road." 

We  turned  to  our  right  towards  Villa  Vedia  and  Vediam- 
num.  About  half  way  to  the  entrance  to  Villa  Vedia,  at 
the  top  of  the  hill  between  the  two  bridges,  the  rain  for  a 


ENCOUNTERS  73 

brief  interval  fairly  cascaded  from  the  sky.  During  this 
temporary  downpour,  as  we  splashed  along,  we  saw  loom 
out  of  the  rain,  fog  and  mist  the  outline  of  what  might 
have  been  an  equestrian  statue,  but  which,  as  we  drew  up 
to  it,  we  found  a  horse  and  rider,  stationary  and  motionless 
to  the  south  of  the  road,  on  a  tiny  knoll,  facing  the  road  and 
so  close  to  it  that  I  might  have  put  out  my  right  hand 
and  touched  the  horse's  nose  as  we  passed. 

Like  everyone  in  our  convoy  the  rider  was  enveloped  in 
a  rain-cloak  and  his  head  and  face  hidden  under  a  wide- 
brimmed  umbrella  hat.  He  saluted  as  I  came  abreast  of 
him,  but  his  salutation  was  merely  a  perfunctory  wave  of 
a  hand,  an  all-but-imperceptible  nod  and  an  inarticulate 
grunt. 

I  barely  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  face,  but  I  made  sure  he 
was  no  one  I  had  ever  seen  before  and  equally  sure  that  he 
was  not  a  Sabine. 

When  we  reached  the  entrance  of  Villa  Yedia,  which  was 
also  the  crossroad  down  which  Marcus  Martius  and  his  bride 
must  come,  there  was  no  sign  of  a  travelling  carriage,  nor 
any  fresh  ruts  in  the  road. 

We  halted  and  peered  into  the  mist.  Nothing  was  in  sight 
on  the  road,  but  there  was  a  stir  in  the  bushes  by  the  road- 
side. Out  of  them  appeared  a  bare  head,  with  a  shock  of 
tousled,  matted,  rain-soaked  gray  hair,  a  hatchet  face,  brow 
like  a  bare  skull,  bleared  eyes,  far  apart  and  deepset  on 
either  side  of  a  sharp  hooked  nose  like  the  beak  of  a  bird 
of  prey,  high  cheekbones  under  the  thin,  dry,  tight-drawn 
skin  above  the  sunken  cheeks,  a  wide,  thin-lipped  mouth  and 
a  chin  like  a  ship's  prow.  The  rain  trickled  down  the  face. 

Up  it  rose,  till  there  was  visible  under  it  a  lean  stringy 
neck,  a  tattered  garment,  and  the  outline  of  a  gaunt,  ema- 
ciated body,  that  of  a  tall,  spare,  half-starved  old  woman. 

I  recognized  the  Aemilian  Sibyl,  as  all  the  countryside 
called  her,  an  old  crone  who  had,  since  before  the  memory 
of  our  oldest  patriarchs,  lived  in  a  cave  in  the  woods  on  the 
Aemilian  Estate,  supported  by  the  gifts  doled  out  to  her 
by  the  kindness,  respect  or  fear  of  the  slaves  and  peasantry 


74.  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

living  nearest  her  abode,  for  she  had  a  local  reputation  for 
magical  powers  in  the  way  of  spells  to  cure  or  curse,  charms 
for  wealth  or  health,  love  philtres,  fortune-telling,  prophecy 
and  good  advice  on  all  subjects  likely  to  cause  uncertainty 
of  mind  in  farm-life. 

She  towered  out  of  the  dripping  shrubberies  and  pointed 
a  long  skinny  finger  at  me. 

"I  know  you  under  your  cloak  and  hat,  Hedulio/'  she 
wheezed.  "Well  for  you  if  younger  folk  than  I  had  such 
eyes  in  their  heads  as  I  have  in  my  spirit.  I  know  you, 
Andivius  Hedulio.  You  turn  your  face  towards  Eeate,  but 
you  shall  never  see  Eeate  this  day.  You  might  as  well 
take  the  road  to  Eome  and  be  done  with  it,  for  to  Eome 
you  shall  go,  whether  you  will  or  not.  Whether  you  will 
or  not,  whatever  road  your  feet  take,  you  will  find  it  leads 
you  to  Eome,  whatever  ship  you  take,  no  matter  to  what  port 
she  steers,  will  land  you  at  Eome's  Wharf.  They  say  all 
roads  lead  to  Eome.  For  you,  in  truth,  every  road  leads 
to  Eome,  whether  you  face  towards  Eome  or  away  from  Eome. 

"Be  warned !  Yield  to  your  fate !  If  you  would  have 
luck,  go  to  Eome,  abide  in  Eome;  and  if  you  must  leave 
Rome,  return  to  Rome. 

"And  hearken  to  my  words,  let  them  sink  deep  into  your 
mind,  remember  them  and  heed  them;  beware  of  a  man 
with  a  hooked  nose,  beware  of  secret  conferences,  beware  of 
plots,  walled  gardens,  beware  of  narrow  streets,  for  these  will 
be  your  undoing!" 

Agathemer  had  edged  his  horse  along  the  roadside  the 
length  of  our  cavalcade  and  had  joined  me.  He  dis- 
mounted, strode  to  the  hag  and  held  out  his  hand  to  her, 
some  silver  pieces  on  its  palm,  saying : 

"My  master  thanks  you  for  your  warning  and  offers  you 
these  as  a  guerdon." 

"Greek  I"  she  screamed.  "I  warn  not  for  guerdons,  but  at 
the  behest  of  the  God  of  Prophecy.  Begone  with  your  silver ! 
Silver  I  scorn  and  gold  and  all  the  treasures  of  mankind's 
folly  and  all  the  joys  of  mankind's  life.  I  am  the  Sibyl !" 


ENCOUNTERS  75 

And  she  tramped  off  through  the  crackling  underbrush  till 
the  trees  hid  her  and  the  noise  of  her  going  died  away,  till 
she  was  so  far  off  that  we  heard  the  rain  drops  drip  from 
the  boughs  and  the  horses  fret  at  their  bits. 

So  at  a  standstill,  as  we  stared  expectantly  up  the  cross- 
road, we  saw  come  into  sight,  not  a  travelling  carriage,  but  a 
horseman,  looming  huge  out  of  the  fog,  a  vast  bulk  of  a 
man  on  a  big  black  horse  like  a  farm  work-horse. 

He  drew  rein  and  saluted  civilly,  tilting  up  his  hat.  His 
face  was  ruddy,  his  eyes  blue,  his  expression  that  of  a  moun- 
taineer from  a  village  or  small  town. 

"I  have  lost  my  way,"  he  said.  "My  name  is  Murmex 
Lucro.  I  come  from  Nersae  and  am  bound  for  Eome.  I 
was  told  of  a  short  cut  that  should  have  brought  me  out  on 
the  Salarian  Eoad  near  Trebula.  But  I  must  have  taken  a 
wrong  turn,  for  I  was  wholly  at  a  loss  at  dusk  yesterday 
and  so  camped  in  the  woods  by  a  spring.  I  have  not  met  a 
human  being  since  daylight.  Where  am  I  and  how  can  I 
reach  the  Via  Salaria  ?" 

"You  are  not  far  from  it/'  Hirnio  told  him.  "We  are 
bound  for  Eome  and  if  you  join  us  you  can  reach  the  Via 
Salaria  with  us  by  the  road  on  which  we  are  going.  Should 
you  prefer  to  follow  the  road  along  which  we  have  come,  which 
is  rough,  but  less  roundabout,  you  can,  by  taking  every 
turn  to  the  right,  reach  the  Via  Salaria  some  miles  nearer 
Eome  than  where  our  road  will  bring  us  out  on  it." 

"I'll  join  your  cavalcade,  if  you  have  no  objection/'  the 
stranger  said. 

Hirnio  and  I  expressed  our  entire  willingness  to  have  his 
company. 

Hirnio  asked  him: 

"Are  you  in  any  way  related  to  Murmex  Frugi?" 

"He  was  my  father,"  Murmex  replied,  simply. 

"Was !"  Hirnio  repeated.  "The  word  strikes  ominously  on 
my  ear.  Someone  from  this  neighborhood,  I  forget  who, 
was  in  Nersae  since  the  roads  became  fit  for  travelling  thia 
spring  and  returned  from  there,  or  perhaps  some  wayfarer 


76  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

from  Nersae  stopped  with  someone  hereabouts.  At  any  rate 
we  heard  he  had  seen  Murmex  Frugi  still  hale  and  sound, 
even  at  his  advanced  age." 

"My  father/'  said  Murmex,  "was  still  hale  and  sound  on 
the  Kalends  of  May  and  for  a  day  or  two  thereafter.  He 
fell  ill  with  a  cough  and  fever,  and  died  after  only  two 
nights'  illness,  on  the  Nones  of  May,  harely  more  than  a 
month  ago." 

"He  lived  to  a  green  old  age,"  said  Hirnio,  "and  must 
have  enjoyed  every  moment  of  his  life." 

"He  seemed  to,"  said  Murmex. 

"And  I  conjecture,"  I  put  in,  "that  he  was  proud  of  his 
son." 

"He  seemed  so,"  Murmex  admitted,  "but  he  was  never  a 
tenth  as  proud  of  me  as  I  of  him." 

"It  is  an  honor,"  I  said,  "to  be  the  son  of  the  greatest 
gladiator  of  our  fathers7  days,  of  the  man  esteemed  the  best 
swordsman  Italy  ever  saw  live  out  his  term  of  service  and 
live  to  retire  on  his  savings." 

"It  is,"  Murmex  said,  as  simply  as  before. 

Here  we  were  interrupted  by  a  yell  from  Tanno,  as  he 
leaned  out  of  his  litter. 

"Are  we  going  to  take  root  here,"  he  bawled,  "like  Phae- 
thon's  sisters?  We  were  supposed  to  be  journeying  to  Eome. 
We  appear  to  be  bound  for  Hades;  we  shall  certainly  reach 
it  if  we  continue  sinking  into  your  Sabine  mud !" 

"Martius  agreed  to  wait  for  me,  if  I  was  late,"  I  shouted 
back  to  him.  "I  agreed  to  wait  for  him;  I  keep  my  word. 
If  you  choose,  we'll  get  out  of  your  way  and  let  you  pass 
on.  We  can  catch  up  with  you." 

"Bah !"  he  roared.  "No  going  it  alone  on  a  Sabine  road 
for  me !  I'm  tied  to  you  hand  and  foot.  But  this  waiting 
in  the  rain  is  no  fun !  Did  you  notice  that  man  on  horse- 
back we  passed  on  the  road  ?" 

"I  did,"  I  called  back. 

"Do  you  know  who  he  is  ?" 

"Never  set  eyes  on  him  before,"  I  replied. 

"Do  you  know  what  he  is?" 


ENCOUNTERS  77 

"No,"  I  answered,  "I  do  not.  What  is  he,  according  to 
your  conjecture?" 

"Fm  not  depending  on  any  conjectures/'  Tanno  bellowed* 
"I  know  to  a  certainty." 

"Then  tell  us,"  I  called. 

"Not  here !"  cried  Tanno.     "I'll  tell  you  later." 

He  pulled  his  head  inside  his  litter. 

We  again  stared  up  the  crossroad.  Nothing  was  in. 
sight. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  Hirnio  again  addressed  Murmex,  "that 
not  only  your  father  was  a  Nersian,  but  also  Pacideianus  and 
that  I  have  heard  that  he  also  was  living  in  retirement  at 
Nersae." 

"He  is  yet,"  rejoined  Murmex,  laconically. 

"Then  you  know  him?"  Hirnio  queried. 

"My  mother,"  said  Murmex,  "is  his  sister." 

"Your  uncle !"  cried  Hirnio,  "son  to  one  of  the  two  great- 
est retired  gladiators  in  Italy,  nephew  to  the  other !  Living 
in  the  same  town  with  them!  Did  either  of  them  ever  teach 
you  anything  of  sword  play  ?" 

"Both  of  them,"  said  Murmex,  "taught  me  everything 
they  knew  of  sword  play,  from  the  day  I  could  hold  a  toy 
lath  sword." 

"Hercules !"  I  cried,  "and  what  did  they  say  of  your  pro- 
ficiency ?" 

"My  father  with  his  last  breath,"  said  Murmex  solemnly, 
"and  my  uncle  Pacideianus  as  he  bade  me  farewell,  told  me 
that  I  am  the  best  swordsman  alive." 

"Why  have  you  never,"  I  asked,  "tried  your  luck  in  the 
arena?" 

"My  father  forbade  me,"  Murmex  explained.  "He  bade 
me  wait.  He  trowed  a  grown  man  was  worth  ten  growing 
lads,  and  he  said  so  and  stuck  to  that.  On  his  death-bed 
he  told  me  I  was  almost  seasoned.  After  we  buried  him  I 
felt  I  could  abide  Nersae  no  longer.  Uncle  agreed  with  me 
that  I  had  best  follow  my  instincts.  I  fare  to  Eome  to  seek 
my  fortune  as  a  swordsman  on  the  sand  in  the  amphi- 
theatres." 


78  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"You  have  fallen  into  good  company,"  I  said,  "for  I  can 
bring  you  at  once  to  the  Emperor's  notice." 

"I  should  be  most  grateful,"  said  Murmex. 

At  that  instant  we  heard  an  halloo  from  the  road  and  saw 
a  horseman  appear  out  of  the  mist,  then  a  travelling  carriage 
behind  him.  It  was  Martius.  When  he  was  near  enough  I 
could  see  his  grave,  handsome,  mediocre  face  far  back  in  the 
carriage,  and  beside  it  Marcia's;  small,  delicate,  shell-pink, 
her  intense  blue  eyes  bright  even  in  that  blurred  gloomy 
daylight,  shining  close  together  over  her  little  aquiline  nose. 

We  conferred  and  he  agreed  to  fall  in  behind  Tanno's 
extra  bearers,  between  them  and  my  farmers,  Tanno's  inten- 
dant  getting  in  front  of  the  litter  where  he  normally  be- 
longed. 

We  got  properly  into  line  as  arranged  and  plodded  on  down 
the  road. 

Just  outside  of  Vediamnum  was,  as  Tanno  had  related, 
the  village  idiot,  guarding  his  flock  of  goats.  He  mowed 
and  gibbered  at  us  and  then  spoke  some  intelligible  words, 
as  he  occasionally  did. 

"I  know  you,  Hedulio,"  he  called.  "You  can't  hide  your- 
self under  that  hat  nor  inside  that  raincloak.  I  know  you, 
Hedulio.  But  nobody  but  an  idiot  would  ever  recognize  you 
inside  that  rig  and  with  all  this  escort.  I  know  you,  you 
aren't  Vedius  Vindex,  you  aren't  Satronius  Sabinus.  You're 
Andivius  Hedulio.  I  know  you.  But  nobody  else  will  guess 
who  you  are.  Nobody  else  around  here  is  an  idiot !" 

Again,  as  with  Tanno's  utterance  when  we  were  leaving 
my  villa,  the  words  fell  on  my  ears  but  did  not  penetrate  to 
my  thinking  consciousness.  Had  I  noted  what  I  heard,  had 
I  thought  instantaneously  of  what  the  idiot's  words  really 
signified,  I  might  even  then  have  saved  myself. 

We  plodded  on,  a  long  cavalcade  of  horsemen  and  bevy 
of  men  afoot,  convoying  a  shut  litter  and  a  closed  travelling 
carriage. 

Round  the  turn  of  the  road,  after  passing  the  idiot  and 
his  goats,  with  the  brawling  stream  of  the  Bran  Brook,  now 
swollen  to  a  respectable  little  river,  on  our  left,  with  the 


ENCOUNTERS  79 

wooded  hills  rising  on  our  right,  we  entered  the  long,  narrow 
winding  single  street  of  Vediamnum,  a  paved  lane  along  the 
close-crowded  tall  stone  houses  built  against  the  hillside  on 
the  northeast,  with  the  stream  along  it  to  the  southwest, 
and  houses  wedged  between  the  street  and  the  stream, 
brokenly,  for  about  half  of  its  length,  with  open  intervals 
between. 

As  we  entered  the  village  I  saw  ahead  on  the  street  not 
a  human  form,  saw  no  face  at  any  door  of  any  house.  I 
wondered  over  this,  wondered  uncomprehendingly.  I  had 
never  seen  the  street  of  Vediamnum  wholly  deserted,  not  even 
in  rains  much  harder  than  that  which  descended  on  us. 
Still  wondering,  still  uncomprehending,  when  we  were  far 
enough  into  the  village  for  the  travelling  carriage  to  be 
already  between  the  first  houses,  I  saw  fall  across  the  road- 
way, in  front  of  me,  two  stout  trunks  of  trimmed  trees, 
straight  like  pine  trees;  I  heard  the  crash  as  they  jarred  on 
the  stones  of  the  stream-side  wall,  I  saw  them  quiver  as  they 
settled;  breast  high  and  shoulder  high  from  house-wall  to 
house-wall,  effectually  blocking  the  highway. 

At  the  same  instant  there  sounded  a  chorus  of  yells,  shouts, 
calls,  cheers  and  commands ;  and  men  poured  out  of  the  house 
doors,  out  of  the  alleys  between  the  houses,  up  the  river 
bank  in  the  unbuilt  intervals;  men  hatless  and  cloakless, 
clad  only  in  their  tunics,  men  with  clubs,  with  staffs,  with 
staves,  with  bludgeons,  with  cudgels,  men  yelling: 

"Greia!  Greia!  Rescue  Greia!  Club  'em!  Brain  'em! 
Chase  'em !  Vedius  forever !  At  'em  boys !  Mustard's  the 
word !  Make  'em  run !  Rescue  Posis !" 

They  clubbed  us.  They  clubbed  the  horses,  they  clubbed 
che  mules,  they  clubbed  the  bearers  and  their  reliefs.  They 
gave  us  no  time  to  explain,  and  though  I  yelled  out  who  I 
was  and  who  was  with  me,  though  Hirnio  and  Tanno  and 
Martius  yelled  similarly,  their  explanations  were  unheard 
in  the  hubbub  or  unheeded.  Also  our  effort  to  explain  was 
brief.  Swathed  as  we  were  in  our  cloaks  the  hot  gush  of 
rage  that  flamed  up  in  us  drove  us  instinctively  to  free  our 
arms  and  fight. 


80  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Now  anyone  might  suppose  that  it  would  be  an  easy 
matter  for  some  eighteen  horsemen  to  ride  down  and  scatter 
a  mob  of  varlets  afoot.  So  it  would  be  in  the  open,  when 
the  riders  were  aware  of  the  attack  and  ready  to  meet  it. 
We  were  taken  wholly  by  surprise  whereas  our  assailants 
were  ready  and  agreed.  For  a  moment  it  looked  like  a  rout 
for  us,  our  horses  and  mules  rearing  and  kicking,  our  whole 
caravan  in  confusion,  jammed  together  higgledy-piggledy, 
with  all  our  attackers  headed  for  the  carriage,  mistaking 
Marcia  for  Greia. 

Marcia  never  screamed,  never  moved,  sat  still  and  silent, 
apparently  calm  and  placid. 

They  all  but  dragged  her  out  of  the  carriage. 

In  fact  we  should  indubitably  have  been  frightfully  mauled 
and  Marcia  carried  off  had  it  not  been  for  Murmex  and 
Tanno. 

At  first  onset  Tanno  had  yelled  explanations;  but  almost 
with  his  first  yell  he  rolled  out  of  his  litter,  snatched  a  spare 
pole  from  a  relief,  and  with  it  laid  about  him;  Murmex  did 
the  like.  The  two  of  them,  one  on  the  right  of  the  litter  and 
carriage,  the  other  on  the  left,  bore  the  whole  shock  of  our 
attackers'  first  rush  and  alone  delayed  it. 

Somehow,  probably  by  Tanno's  orders,  perhaps  by  their 
own  instincts,  the  reliefs  with  the  other  poles  handed  them 
to  Hirnio  and  me  as  we  dismounted.  Three  of  the  clever 
blacks  caught  our  horses  and  Murmex's.  Others  detached 
the  poles  from  the  litter  and  the  four  biggest  bearers  seized 
them  and  used  them  vigorously. 

Thus,  actually  quicker  than  it  takes  to  tell  of  it,  eight 
powerful,  skillful  and  justly  incensed  men  on  our  side  were 
plying  litter  poles  against  the  cudgels  of  our  attackers. 

I  was  severely  bruised  before  I  warmed  up  to  my  work; 
when  I  did  warm  up  I  laid  a  man  flat  with  every  blow  of  the 
pole  I  wielded. 

When  my  adversaries  had  had  a  sufficient  taste  of  my 
skill  to  cause  them  to  draw  away  from  me,  as  far  as  they 
could  in  that  press  of  men,  horses  and  mules,  and  I  had 
cleared  a  space  around  me,  I  looked  about. 


ENCOUNTERS  81 

Agathemer,  light  built  as  he  was,  had  wrenched  a  bludgeon 
from  some  Vedian  and  was  wielding  it  not  ineffectually. 

Hirnio  was  doing  his  part  in  the  fighting  like  a  gentleman 
and  an  expert. 

But  Murmex  and  Tanno  chiefly  caught  my  eye. 

It  was  wonderful  to  see  Tanno  fight.  Every  swing  of  his 
pole  cracked  on  a  skull.  Men  fell  about  him  by  twos  and 
threes,  one  on  the  other. 

If  Tanno  was  wonderful  Murmex  was  marvellous.  Never 
had  I  seen  a  man  handle  a  staff  so  rapidly  and  effectively. 

By  this  time  my  nine  tenants  were  afoot,  and  uncloaked. 
Now  a  Sabine  farmer,  afoot  or  horsed,  is  never  without  his 
trusty  staff  of  yew  or  holly  or  thorn.  These  the  nine  used 
to  admiration,  if  less  miraculously  than  Tanno  and  Murmex. 

Since  there  were  now  a  round  dozen  skilled  fencers  ply- 
ing their  staffs  on  our  side,  and  four  huge  and  mighty 
Nubians  doing  their  best  (with  no  mean  skill  of  their  own, 
either)  to  assist  us,  we  soon  were  on  the  way  to  victory. 

The  remnant  of  our  adversaries  still  on  their  feet  fled; 
fled  up  the  alleys  between  the  houses,  into  the  houses,  down 
the  bank  towards  the  stream  or  into  the  stream,  over  the 
barricade  of  the  twin  logs. 

That  barricade  made  it  impossible  for  us  to  go  on.  The 
number  of  men  laid  low,  some  of  whom  were  reviving  from 
their  stunned  condition  and  crawling  or  staggering  away 
from  under  the  hoofs  of  the  crazed  horses  and  mules,  made 
it  unthinkable  that  any  explanation  of  the  mistake  which 
had  led  to  the  fracas  could  be  possible,  or  if  possible,  that 
explanation  could  quench  the  fires  of  animosity  which  blazed 
in  the  breasts  of  all  concerned. 

With  one  accord,  without  any  conference  or  the  exchange 
of  a  word,  our  party  made  haste  to  escape  from  Vediamnum 
before  our  assailants  rallied  for  a  second  onset.  No  horse 
or  mule  was  hamstrung  or  lamed,  no  man  had  been  knocked 
senseless.  All  of  us  were  more  or  less  bruised  and  sore,  some 
were  bleeding,  two  of  my  tenants  had  blood  pouring  from 
torn  scalps,  but  every  man,  horse  and  mule  was  fit  to  travel. 

We  carried,  lifted,  dragged  or  rolled  out  of  the  way  the 


8*  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

disabled  Vedians  in  the  roadbed,  making  sure  that  not 
one  was  killed,  we  somehow  got  the  travelling  carriage  turned 
round,  no  small  feat  in  that  narrow  space;  we  readjusted 
the  litter-poles,  Tanno  climbed  in,  Hirnio  and  Murmex  and 
I  mounted,  Tanno's  extra  litter  bearers  led  my  farmers' 
horses  and  mules  and  we  set  off  on  our  retreat,  my  nine  ten- 
ants, even  with  two  of  them  half  scalped,  forming  a  rear- 
guard of  entirely  competent  bludgeoners ;  certainly  they  must 
have  impressed  the  Vedians  as  adequate,  for  no  face  so  much 
as  showed  at  a  doorway  until  we  were  clear  of  the  village 
and  my  tenants  remounted.  Then  came  a  few  derisive  yells 
after  us  as  the  mist  cut  off  our  view  of  the  nearest  houses. 

We  made  Laste,  you  may  be  sure.  Outside  of  the  village 
we  passed  the  idiot  and  his  goats.  He  mowed  and  grinned 
at  us,  but  uttered  no  word.  We  saw  no  other  human  figure 
till  we  had  passed  the  entrance  to  Villa  Vedia  and  felt  safer. 
NOT  did  we  pass  anyone  between  that  cross-road  and  the  foot 
of  my  road,  save  only  the  same  immobile  horseman  on  the 
same  knoll,  in  the  same  position,  and,  apparently,  at  precisely 
the  same  spot,  as  if  he  were  indeed  an  equestrian  statue. 
His  salutation  was  as  curt  as  before. 

At  the  foot  of  my  road  we  held  a  consultation.  Hirnio 
advised  returning  to  my  villa  and  demanding  an  apology 
from  Vedius,  even  instituting  legal  proceedings  at  Eeate  if 
he  did  not  make  an  apology  and  enter  a  disclaimer.  But 
Tanno,  Martius  and  all  my  tenants,  even  the  two  with  cracked 
heads,  were  for  going  on,  and,  of  course,  Murmex,  who 
talked  as  if  he  had  been  a  member  of  our  company  from  the 
first. 

"Hercules  be  good  to  me/7  Tanno  cried,  "to  get  out  of 
this  cursed  neighborhood  I  am  willing  even  to  face  the  hor- 
rors of  the  bit  of  road  I  suffered  on  as  I  came  up.  Let  us 
be  off  on  our  road  to  Borne." 

"With  all  my  heart,"  I  said.  "But  first  teU  me  who  or 
what  is  that  voiceless  and  moveless  horseman  we  passed  twice 
between  here  and  the  crossroads.  You  said  you  knew/7 

"I  do  know,"  Tanno  grunted,  "and  Fin.  not  fool  enough  to 


ENCOUNTERS  83 


blurt  it  out  on  a  country  road,  either.  Let's  be  off.  Atten- 
tion! Form  ranks!  Eeady!  Forward!  March!" 

Off  we  set,  ordering  our  caravan  as  at  first,  except  that 
Agathemer  rode  by  me,  with  Hirnio  and  Murmex  in  advance. 

We  plodded  down  the  muddy  road,  through  the  fine,  con- 
tinuous drizzle,  wrapped  in  our  cloaks,  all  the  world  about 
us  helmed  in  fog,  mist  and  rain,  the  trees  looming  blurred 
and  gray-green  in  the  wet  air. 

Without  meeting  any  wayfarers,  with  little  talk  among 
ourselves,  we  had  passed  the  entrance  to  Villa  Satronia  and 
were  no  great  distance  from  the  Salarian  Highway,  when, 
where  the  road  traversed  a  dense  bit  of  woodland,  the  trees 
of  which  met  overhead,  the  underbrush  on  both  sides  of  the 
road  suddenly  rang  with  yells  and  was  alive  with  excited 
men. 

It  was  almost  the  duplicate  of  our  experience  in  Vediam- 
num,  save  that  our  assailants  were  more  numerous  and 
shouted : 

"Xantha,  Xantha,  rescue  Xantha!" 

"Satronius  forever!  Eat  'em  alive,  boys!  Get  Xantha! 
Get  Xantha !"  and  such  like  calls. 

This  time  we  had  an  infinitesimally  longer  warning,  as 
the  bushes  to  right  and  left  of  the  road  were  further  apart 
than  had  been  the  houses  lining  the  streets  of  Vediamnum; 
also  we  reacted  more  quickly  to  the  yells,  having  heard  the 
like  such  a  short  time  before. 

The  fight  was  fully  joined  all  along  the  line  and  was  raging 
•with  no  advantage  for  either  side,  when  I  missed  a  parry 
and  knew  no  more. 

Afterwards  I  was  told  that  I  fell  stunned  from  a  blow  on 
the  head  and  lay,  bleeding  not  only  from  a  terrific  scalp 
wound  but  also  from  a  dozen  other  abrasions,  until  the  fight 
was  over,  our  assailants  routed  and  completely  put  to  flight, 
and  Tanno  with  the  rest  of  the  pursuers  returned  to  the 
travelling  carriage  and  litter  to  find  Marcia,  pink  and  pretty 
and  placid,  seated  as  she  had  been  when  she  left  home,  and 
me,  weltering  in  a  pool  of  blood. 


84  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

A  dozen  Satronians  lay  stunned.  Tanno  reckoned  two 
of  them  dead  men. 

I  was  the  only  man  seriously  hurt  on  our  side. 

Agathemer  was  for  convoying  me  home. 

Tanno  hooted  at  the  idea,  expatiating  on  the  distance 
from  Eeate  and  the  improbability  of  such  a  town  harboring 
a  competent  physician,  on  the  number  of  excellent  surgeons 
in  Borne,  on  the  advisability  of  getting  me  out  of  the  locality 
afflicted  with  our  Vedian-Satronian  feud,  and  so  on. 

He  had  me  bandaged  as  best  might  be  and  composed  in 
his  litter. 

He  took  my  horse. 

To  me  the  journey  to  Eome  was  and  is  a  complete  blank. 
I  was  mostly  insensible,  and,  when  I  showed  signs  of  con- 
sciousness, was  delirious.  I  recall  nothing  except  a  vague 
sense  of  endless  pain,  misery  and  horror.  I  have  no  memory 
of  anything  that  occurred  on  the  road  after  I  was  hit  on 
the  head,  nor  of  the  first  night  at  Vicus  Novus  nor  of  the 
second  at  Eretum.  I  first  came  to  myself  about  the  tenth 
hour  of  the  third  day,  when  we  were  but  a  short  distance 
from  Eome  and  in  full  sight  of  it. 

The  view  of  Eome,  from  any  eminence  outside  the  city 
from  which  a  view  of  it  may  be  had,  has  has  always  seemed 
to  me  the  most  glorious  spectacle  upon  which  a  Eoman  may 
feast  his  eyes.  As  a  boy  my  tutors  had  yielded  to  my  im- 
portunities and  had  escorted  me  to  every  one  of  those  eleva- 
tions near  the  city  famous  as  viewpoints.  As  a  lad  I  had 
ridden  out  to  each  many  times,  whenever  the  weather  prom- 
ised a  fine  view,  to  delight  my  soul  with  the  aspect  of  the 
great  city  citizenship  in  which  was  my  dearest  heritage. 
To  have  been  born  a  Eoman  was  my  chief  pride;  to  gaze 
at  Eome,  to  exult  at  the  beauty  of  Eome,  was  my  keenest 
delight. 

More  even  than  the  acclaimed  viewpoints,  to  which  resi- 
dents like  me  and  visitors  from  all  the  world  flocked  on  fine 
afternoons,  did  I  esteem  those  places  on  the  roads  radiating 
from  Eome  where  a  traveller  faring  Eomeward  caught  his 
first  sight  of  the  city;  or  those  points  where,  if  one  road 


ENCOUNTERS  85 

liad  several  hill-crests  in  succession,  one  had  the  best  view 
possible  anywhere  along  the  road. 

Of  the  various  roads  entering  Eome  it  always  appeared 
to  my  judgment  that  the  Tiburtine  Highway  afforded  the 
most  charming  views  of  the  city. 

But,  along  the  Salarian  Highway,  are  several  rises  at  the 
top  of  each  of  which  one  sees  a  fascinating  picture  when  look- 
ing towards  Eome.  Of  these  my  favorite  was  that  from 
the  crest  of  the  ascent  after  one  crosses  the  Anio,  just  after 
passing  Antemnas,  near  the  third  milestone. 

This  view  I  love  now  as  I  have  always  loved  it,  as  I  loved 
it  when  a  boy.  To  halt  on  that  crest  of  the  road,  of  a  fair, 
still,  mild,  brilliant  afternoon  when  the  sun  is  already  vis- 
ibly declining  and  its  rays  fall  slanting  and  mellow ;  to  view 
the  great  city  bathed  in  the  warm,  even  light,  its  pinnacles, 
tower-roofs,  domes,  and  roof-tiles  flashing  and  sparkling  in 
the  late  sunshine,  all  of  it  radiant  with  the  magical  glow  of 
an  Italian  afternoon,  to  see  Rome  so  vast,  so  grandiose,  so 
majestic,  so  winsome,  so  lovely ;  to  know  that  one  owns  one's 
share  in  Rome,  that  one  is  part  of  Rome;  that,  I  conceive, 
confers  the  keenest  joy  of  which  the  human  heart  is  capable. 

It  so  happened  that  Tanno  had  his  litter  opened,  that  I 
might  get  all  the  air  possible,  and  the  curtains  looped  back 
tightly.  Somehow,  at  the  very  crest  of  that  rise  on  the 
Salarian  Road,  on  a  perfect  afternoon,  about  the  tenth  hour, 
I  came  to  myself. 

I  was  aching  in  every  limb  and  joint,  I  was  sore  over 
every  inch  of  my  surface,  I  was  all  one  jelly  of  bruises,  my 
head  and  my  left  shin  hurt  me  acutely.  More  than  all  that 
I  was  permeated  by  that  nameless  horror  which  comes  from 
weakness  and  a  high  fever. 

Now  it  would  be  impossible  to  convey,  by  any  human 
•words,  the  strangeness  of  my  sensations.  My  sufferings,  my 
illness,  my  distress  of  mind  enveloped  me  and  permeated  me 
with  a  general  misery  in  which  I  could  not  but  loathe  life, 
the  world  and  anything  I  saw,  and  I  saw  before  me  the  most 
magnificent,  the  most  noble,  the  most  inspiriting  sight  the 
world  affords. 


66  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

At  the  instant  of  reviving  I  was  overwhelmed  by  my  sen* 
sations,  by  my  recollections  of  the  two  fights  and  of  all  they 
meant  to  me  of  misfortune  and  disaster,  and  I  was  more  than 
overwhelmed  by  the  glory  spread  before  me.  I  went  all  hot 
and  cold  inside  and  all  through  me  and  lost  consciousness. 

After  this  lapse  I  was  not  conscious  of  anything  until  I 
began  to  be  dimly  aware  that  I  was  in  my  own  bed  in  my 
own  bedroom  in  my  own  house  and  tended  by  my  own  per- 
sonal servants. 

Strangely  enough  this  second  awakening  was  as  different 
as  possible  from  my  momentary  revival  near  Antemnae. 
Then  I  had  been  appalled  by  the  rush  of  varying  sensations, 
crowding  memories,  conflicting  emotions  and  daunting  fore- 
bodings, each  of  which  seemed  as  distinct,  vivid  and  keen 
as  every  other  of  the  uncountable  swarm  of  impressions:  I 
had  felt  acutely  and  cared  extremely.  Now  every  memory 
and  sensation  was  blurred,  no  thought  of  the  future  in- 
truded, I  accepted  without  internal  questionings  whatever 
was  done  for  me,  and  lay  semi-conscious,  incurious  and  in- 
different. Mostly  I  dozed  half-conscious.  I  was  almost  in 
a  stupor,  at  peace  with  myself  and  all  the  world,  wretched, 
yet  acquiescing  in  my  wretchedness,  not  rebellious  nor  recal- 
citrant. 

This  semi-stupor  gradually  wore  off,  my  half-consciousness 
between  long  sleeps  growing  less  and  less  blurred,  my  facul- 
ties more  alive,  my  personality  emerging. 

When  I  came  entirely  to  myself  I  found  Tanno  seated 
by  my  bed. 

"You're  all  right  now,  Caius,"  he  said,  "I  have  kept  away 
till  Galen  said  you  were  well  enough  for  me  to  talk  to  you/' 

"Galen?"  I  repeated,  "have  I  been  as  ill  as  all  that?" 

"Not  ill,"  Tanno  disclaimed,  "merely  bruised.  You  are 
certainly  a  portent  in  a  fight.  I  never  saw  you  fight  before, 
never  saw  you  practice  at  really  serious  fencing,  never  heard 
anybody  speak  of  you  as  an  expert,  or  as  a  fighter.  But  I 
take  oath  I  never  saw  a  man  handle  a  stave  as  you  did.  You 
were  quicker  than  lightning,  you  seemed  in  ten  places  at 
once,  you  were  as  reckless  as  a  Fury  and  as  effectual  as  a 


ENCOUNTERS  87 

thunderbolt.  You  laid  men  out  by  twos  and  threes.  But 
jammed  as  you  were  in  a  press  of  enemies  you  were  hit 
often  and  hard,  so  often  and  so  hard  that,  after  you  were 
downed  by  a  blow  on  the  head,  you  never  came  to  until  I  had 
you  where  you  are/7 

"Yes  I  did/5  I  protested,  "I  came  to  on  the  hilltop  this 
side  of  Antemnse." 

"Not  enough  to  tell  any  of  us  about  it/'  he  soothed  me. 
"Anyhow,  you  are  mending  now  and  will  soon  be  yourself." 

I  was  indifferent.     My  mind  was  not  yet  half  awake. 

"Did  I  fight  as  well  as  you  say  ?"  I  asked,  "or  are  you  flat- 
tering me?" 

"No  flattery,  my  boy/'  he  said.    "You  are  a  portent/' 

Then  he  told  me  of  the  result  of  the  fight  with  the  Satro- 
nians,  of  their  complete  discomfiture  and  rout,  of  how  he 
had  brought  me  to  Koine,  seen  me  properly  attended  and 
looked  after  my  tenants. 

"They  are  having  the  best  time,"  he  said,  "they  ever  had 
in  all  their  lives." 

And  he  told  me  where  he  had  them  lodged  and  which 
sights  of  Eome  they  had  seen  from  day  to  day. 

"Just  as  soon  as  I  had  seen  to  you  and  them,"  he  said,  "I 
called  on  dear  old  Nemestronia  and  told  her  of  your  condi- 
tion. She  is  full  of  solicitude  for  you  and  will  overwhelm 
you  with  dainties  as  soon  as  you  are  well  enough  to  relish 
any." 

He  did  not  mention  Vedia  and  I  was  still  too  dazed,  too 
numb,  too  weak,  too  acquiescent  to  ask  after  her,  or  even 
to  think  of  asking  after  her  or  to  notice  that  he  had  not 
mentioned  her. 

"While  I  was  talking  to  Nemestronia,"  Tanno  said,  "I 
took  care  to  warn  her  about  that  cursed  leopard.  She  would 
not  agree  to  cage  it,  at  least  not  permanently.  She  did 
agree  to  cage  it  at  night  and  said  she  would  not  let  it  have 
the  run  of  her  palace  even  by  day,  as  it  has  since  she  first 
got  it,  but  would  keep  it  shut  up  in  the  shrubbery  garden,  as 
she  calls  it,  where  they  usually  feed  it  and  where  you  and  I 
have  seen  it  crawl  up  on  its  victims  and  pounce  on  them." 


88  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

I  could  not  be  interested  in  leopards,  or  Nemestronia  or 
even  in  Vedia,  if  he  had  mentioned  Vedia.  I  fell  into  a  half 
doze.  Just  on  the  point  of  going  fast  asleep  I  half  roused, 
queerly  enough. 

"Caius !"  I  asked,  "do  you  remember  that  man  on  horse- 
back we  passed  in  the  rain  between  my  road  entrance  and 
Vediamnum  ?" 

"You  can  wager  your  estate  I  remember  him!"  Tanno 
replied. 

"What  sort  of  man  was  he  ?"  I  queried,  struggling  with  my 
tendency  to  sleep.  "You  said  you  knew." 

"I  do  know,"  Tanno  asserted,  "I  cannot  identify  him, 
though  I  have  questioned  those  who  should  know  and  who 
are  safe.  I  should  know  his  name,  but  I  cannot  recall  it  or 
place  him.  But  I  know  his  occupation.  He  is  a  professional 
informer  in  the  employ  of  the  palace  secret  service,  an  Im- 
perial spy. 

"Now  what  in  the  name  of  Mercury  was  he  doing  in  the 
rain  on  a  Sabine  roadside?  I  cannot  conjecture/' 

This  should  have  roused  me  staring  wide  awake. 

But  I  was  too  exhausted  to  take  any  normal  interest  in 
anything. 

"I  can't  conjecture  either,"  I  drawled  thickly. 


CHAPTER  YI 

A  RATHER  BAD  DAT 

NEXT  morning,  strangely  enough,  I  wakened  at  my  nor- 
mal, habitual  time  for  wakening  when  in  town,  and 
wakened  feeling  weak  indeed  and  still  sore  in  places,  but  en- 
tirely myself  in  general  and  filled  with  a  sort  of  sham  energy 
and  spurious  vigor. 

By  me,  when  I  woke,  was  Occo,  my  soft-voiced,  noiseless- 
footed-  deft-handed  personal  attendant.  At  my  bidding  he 
summoned  Agathemer.  When  I  told  him  that  I  proposed 


A  RATHER  BAD  DAY  89 

to  get  up,  dress  and  go  out  as  I  usually  did  when  in  Borne, 
in  fact  that  I  intended  to  follow  the  conventional  and  fash- 
ionable daily  routine  to  which  I  had  "been  habituated,  he 
protested  vigorously.  He  said  that  both  Celsianus  and 
Galen,  the  two  most  acclaimed  physicians  in  Home,  who  had 
been  called  in  in  consultation  by  my  own  physician,  but  also 
he  himself,  had  enjoined  most  emphatically  that  I  must 
remain  abed  for  some  days  yet,  must  keep  indoors  for  many 
days  more,  if  I  was  to  continue  on  the  road  to  recovery  on 
which  their  ministrations  had  set  me,  and  that  all  three  had 
bidden  him  tell  me  that  any  transgression  of  their  instruc- 
tions would  expose  me  to  the  probability  of  a  relapse  far 
more  serious  than  my  initial  illness  and  to  a  far  longer 
period  of  inactivity. 

I  was  determined  and  obstinate.  When  he  added  that  I 
must  not  only  remain  quiet,  but  must  not  talk  for  any  length 
of  time  nor  concern  myself  with  any  news  or  any  matters 
likely  to  excite  me,  I  revolted.  I  commanded  him  to  obey 
me  and  to  be  silent  as  to  the  physicians'  orders. 

I  began  by  asking  him  what  day  it  was.  I  then  learned 
that  I  had  been  ill  fifteen  days  since  reaching  Eome,  for  I 
had  left  my  villa  on  the  eighth  day  before  the  Ides  of  June 
and  it  was  now  the  ninth  day  before  the  Kalends  of  July. 

Next  I  asked  after  my  tenants.  Agathemer  said  that  they 
had  most  dutifully  presented  themselves  each  morning  to 
salute  me  and  attend  my  reception,  if  I  should  be  well  enough 
to  hold  one;  to  ask  after  my  progress  towards  recovery  if  I 
was  not;  that  Ligo  Atrior,  as  recognized  leader  among  them, 
had  also  come  each  evening  between  bath-time  and  dinner- 
time to  ask  personally  after  my  condition;  that,  as  all  the 
physicians  had,  the  day  before,  stated  that  I  must  by  no 
means  be  allowed  to  see  anyone  save  Tanno  or  to  leave  my 
bedroom,  for  some  days,  he  had  told  Ligo  the  evening  before 
not  to  diminish  his  and  his  fellows'  time  for  sight-seeing 
by  coming  on  this  particular  morning;  that  Ligo  had  ex- 
pressed his  unalterable  intention  of  coming  each  evening  in 
any  case. 

I  commended  Agathemer's  discretion  but  told  him  to  tell 


90  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Ligo,  when  lie  came  in  the  afternoon.,  that  I  intended  to  hold 
a  reception  next  morning  and  wanted  to  see  all  nine  of  them 
at  it. 

I  then  asked  about  Murmex.  Agathemer  said  that  Tanno 
had  offered  to  bring  him  to  the  Emperor's  notice,  but  that 
Murmex  had  declined,  thanking  him,  but  remarking  that, 
as  I  had  offered  to  bring  him  to  the  Emperor's  notice,  it 
would  be  bad  manners  on  his  part  to  appear  under  the  coun- 
tenance of  any  other  patron  and  would  moreover  be  inviting 
bad  luck  instead  of  good  luck  on  his  presentation. 

Agathemer  said  Murmex  had  called  twice  to  ask  after  me 
and  had  told  him  where  he  lodged.  I  instructed  him  to  ap- 
prise Murmex  of  my  intention  to  hold  a  morning  reception.  I 
knew  Agathemer  would  send  out  notifications  to  all  my  city 
clients  of  long  standing  without  any  admonition  of  miae. 

He  told  me  that  no  message  of  any  kind  had  come  from 
Vedia  nor  from  Vedius  Vedianus,  the  head  of  her  clan,  nor 
from  Satronius  Satro.  I  could  not  conjecture  just  why 
Yedia  had  remained  silent,  and  I  was  not  only  worried  over 
the  fact  of  her  silence  and  aloofness,  but  felt  myself  wearied, 
even  after  a  very  short  time,  by  the  uncontrollable  turmoil 
of  my  mind,  puzzling  as  to  why  she  had  ignored  me. 

As  to  Vedius  and  Satronius,  I  was  vividly  aware  of  their 
state  of  mind  and  acutely  wretched  over  it. 

Only  nineteen  days  before  I  had  seen  my  triclinium  walled 
and  floored  with  flowers  presented  by  the  local  leader  of  one 
clan;  had  seen  my  dinner  table  groan  under  the  fruit  sent 
me  by  the  local  leader  of  the  other  clan,  had  known  that 
both  clans  were  competing  for  my  favor  and  that  I  was  high 
in  the  good  graces  of  each. 

Now  I  felt  that  all  men  of  both  clans  must  be  bitterly 
incensed  with  me,  for  I  knew  their  clan-pride.  No  man 
of  either  clan  would  weigh  the  facts:  that  neither  fight  had 
been  of  my  seeking;  that  both  fights  had  been  forced  on  me; 
that  I  could  not  by  any  exercise  of  ingenuity  have  avoided 
either,  once  the  onset  began;  that  each  had  been  the  result 
of  the  headlong  impetuosity  and  self-deception  of  my  assail- 
ants, that  both  were  the  outcome  of  conditions  which  I  could 


A  RATHER  BAD  DAY  91 

not  be  expected  to  recognize  as  dangerous  beforehand,  of  a 
mistake  not  of  my  causing,  for  which  I  was  in  no  way  to 
blame.  I  knew  that  every  man  of  both  clans,  and  most  of 
all  the  head  of  each  clan,  would  consider  nothing  except  that 
I  had  participated  in  a  roadside  brawl  in  which  men  of  their 
clan  had  been  roughly  handled,  some  of  them  by  me  per- 
sonally, and  from  which  their  men  had  fled  in  confusion, 
routed  partly  by  my  participation. 

I  saw  myself  embroiled  with  both  clans,  conjectured  that 
the  two  fights  were  the  staple  of  the  clan  gossip  on  both 
sides,  and  that  animosity  against  me  was  increasing  from 
day  to  day.  I  felt  impelled  to  state  my  case  to  both  Vedius 
and  Satronius,  but  I  knew  that  even  if  I  had  been  in  the 
best  of  health,  even  if  I  should  be  eloquent  beyond  my  best 
previous  effort,  there  was  little  or  no  chance  that  anything 
I  might  say  would  avail  to  placate  either  magnate  or  to 
abate  cither's  hostility  toward  me.  And  I  knew  that,  in  my 
dazed  condition,  the  chances  were  that  I  would  bungle  the 
simplest  mental  task. 

Yet  I  formed  the  purpose  of  attempting,  that  very  morn- 
ing, to  see  both  Satronius  and  Vedius,  and  of  attempting,  if 
I  was  admitted  to  either,  to  convince  him  that  he  had  no 
reason  to  be  incensed  with  me,  but  that  he  should  rather 
be  incensed  against  my  assailants:  an  aim  impossible  of  at- 
tainment, as  I  knew,  but  would  not  admit  to  myself. 

As  I  was  to  have  no  reception  that  morning  I  lay  abed 
a  while  longer,  at  Agathemer's  earnest  solicitation. 

Little  good  it  did  me.  In  my  mind,  behind  my  shut 
eyelids,  I  rehearsed  the  unfortunate  occurrences  on  the  road, 
I  groped  back  to  their  causes. 

I  could  see  that  Tanno's  jesting  replies  to  the  Satronians 
he  had  met  on  the  road  had  given  them  the  idea  that  Xantha 
was  being  conveyed,  in  a  shut  litter,  to  Villa  Vedia:  sim- 
ilarly his  quizzical  words  to  the  Vedians  he  had  met  had 
given  them  a  similar  notion  that  Greia  was  being  smuggled 
behind  slid  panels  and  drawn  curtains,  to  Villa  Satronia. 

The  men  of  each  side  had  spread  their  conjecture  among 
their  clansmen.  Each  side  had  made  the  forecast  *Mt  the 


92  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

abductors  would  try  to  carry  off  their  prize  to  Rome:  each 
had  calculated  that  the  other  side  would  try  to  fool  them, 
that  they  would  not  travel  the  obvious  road,  but  try  to 
escape  by  boldly  following  the  route  least  to  be  expected.  So 
the  Vedians  inferred  that  the  Satronians,  instead  of  taking 
their  direct  road  to  the  Salarian  Highway,  would  expect  an 
ambush  along  it  and  would  try  to  sneak  through  Vediam- 
num.  Therefore  they  were  in  ambush  at  Vediamnum. 
Similarly  and  for  similar  reasons  the  Satronians  were  in 
ambush  below  their  road  entrance,  calculating  that  the 
Vedians  would  pass  that  way. 

I  had  blundered  on  both  ambushes  in  succession. 

I  lay,  eyes  closed,  raging  at  my  lack  of  foresight  and  at 
my  hideous  bad  luck. 

When  Agathemer  knew  that  I  could  not  be  kept  longer 
abed  he  brought  me  a  cup  of  delicious  hot  mulled  wine  and 
a  roll  almost  as  well-flavored  as  Ofatulena's,  for  my  town 
•cook  was  fit  for  a  senator's  kitchen.  I  lay  still  a  while 
longer. 

When  I  stood  up  I  felt  dizzy  and  faint,  but  I  was  resolved 
and  stubborn.  Besides,  I  craved  fresh  air  and  thought  that 
an  airing  would  revive  me.  In  fact,  once  out  of  doors  and 
in  my  litter,  with  all  Uncle's  sliding  panels  open,  I  felt  very 
much  better.  I  told  my  bearers  to  take  me  to  the  Vedian 
mansion. 

There  the  doorkeeper,  indeed,  stared,  and  the  footmen 
nudged  each  other,  but  I  was  received  civilly  and  was  shown 
into  the  atrium,  which  I  found  crowded  with  the  clan  clients 
and  with  gentlemen  like  myself. 

The  atrium  of  the  Vedian  mansion  had  kept,  by  family 
tradition,  a  sort  of  affectation  of  old-fashioned  plainness. 
It  was  indeed  lined  with  expensive  marbles,  but  it  was  far 
soberer  in  coloring,  far  simpler  in  every  detail,  than  most 
atriums  of  similar  houses.  Instead  of  striving  for  an  effect 
of  opulent  gorgeousness  by  every  device  of  material,  color 
and  decoration,  the  heads  of  the  Vedian  family  had  ex- 
pressed, in  their  atrium,  their  cult  of  primitive  simplicity. 


A  RATHER  BAD  DAY  9£ 

Compared  with  others  of  the  houses  of  senators  their  atrium 
appeared  bare  and  bleak. 

His  guests  gazed  at  me  curiously  as  I  advanced  to  greet 
our  host. 

Vedius,  the  smallest  man  in  the  throng,  stood  blinking 
at  me  with  his  red  eyelids,  his  bald  head  shining  from  its  top 
to  the  thin  fringe  of  reddish  hair  above  his  big  flaring  ears, 
his  small  wizened  face  all  screwed  up  into  a  knot,  his  thin 
lips  pursed,  his  little  ferret  eyes,  close-set  against  his  mean,, 
miserly  nose,  peering  at  me  under  their  blinking  red  lids. 

His  expression  was  malign  and  sneering,  his  tone  sarcas- 
tic, but  his  mere  words  were  not  discourteous. 

"I  am  delighted  to  see  you,  Andivius,"  he  said,  "and  very 
much  amazed  to  see  you  here. 

"I  have  been  told  that  on  the  eighth  day  before  the  Idesr 
you  entered  Vediamnum  early  of  a  rainy  morning,  with  an 
escort  so  numerous  that  none  could  have  conjectured  that 
the  cavalcade  was  yours;  that,  when  three  or  four  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  village  accosted  you  civilly  and  asked 
who  you  were  and  where  you  were  going,  your  men,  with- 
out any  reply,  fell  on  them  and  beat  them  unmercifully; 
that,  when  the  population  of  Vediamnum  rushed  to  the  as- 
sistance of  their  fellows,  your  convoy  set  upon  them  and 
started  a  pitched  battle,  mishandling  them  so  frightfully 
that  the  street  was  strewn  with  stunned  and  bleeding  vil- 
lagers; that  you  not  only  participated  in  the  affray,  but 
fomented  it  and  led  it;  that  the  two  men  who  have  since 
died,  fell  under  blows  from  your  own  quarter-staff. 

"Now,  the  fact  that  I  see  you  here  leads  me  to  conjecture 
that,  after  the  occurrences  which  I  have  rehearsed,  you  would 
not  have  presented  yourself  before  me  and  come  to  salute 
me,  had  you  not  had  some  version  of  these  events  other  than 
that  uniformly  reported  to  me.  If  you  have  any  version 
differing  from  those  which  I  have  heard,  speak;  we  listen/' 

I  had  begun  to  feel  dizzy  and  faint  just  as  soon  as  I  was 
indoors,  I  seemed  dazed  and  as  if  my  faculties  were  numb;. 
at  his  ironical  mock-courtesy  I  felt  myself  hot  and  cold, 
all  over.  Yet  I  essayed  to  state  my  side  of  the  case. 


94  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

I  explained  all  the  circumstances,  narrated  Tanno's  unex- 
pected arrival,  his  quizzical  bantering  of  the  persons  whom 
he  encountered  on  the  road,  my  tenants'  petition,  my  agree- 
ment with  Marcus  Martius,  the  accretion  of  Hirnio  and 
JMurmex  to  our  party,  Tanno's  insistence  on  reaching  the 
Salarian  Highway  through  Vediamnum,  and  all  the  other 
trivial  factors  which  had  conspired  to  my  undoing;  I  de- 
scribed the  affray  in  Vediamnum,  both  as  I  had  seen  it  and 
as  Tanno  and  Agathemer  had  told  me  of  it;  similarly  the 
fight  below  Villa  Satronia.  I  thought  I  was  lucid  and  con- 
vincing. 

When  I  paused  Vedius  leered  at  me. 

"Andivius,"  he  said,  "I  am  not  such  a  fool  as  you  take 
me  for.  I  am  not  in  any  way  deceived  by  all  that  rigmarole. 
I  see  through  you  and  your  words  as  I  saw  through  your  ac- 
tions. I  comprehend  perfectly  that  you  connived  with  the 
Satronians  to  entice  my  people  into  a  roadside  brawl  to  dis- 
credit our  clan.  I  understand  how  ingeniously  you  made 
«11  your  arrangements,  even  to  concocting  a  sham  fight  with 
the  Satronians  to  enable  you  to  put  forward  the  excuses 
you  have  offered. 

"Your  plans  miscarried  at  only  two  points:  you  did  not 
mean  to  leave  any  corpses,  yet  you  caused  the  deaths  of  two 
of  my  retainers;  you  did  not  mean  to  suffer  anything  your- 
self, yet  in  your  sham  fight  you  were  accidentally  hit  on  the 
head. 

"Blows  on  the  head  often  unsettle  the  intellect.  I  take 
that  into  consideration  in  dealing  with  you.  If  you  go  home 
now  and  recover  from  your  injury  your  mind  will  clear. 
Then  you  will  have  wit  enough  to  decide  how  soon  and  how 
often  it  will  be  advisable  for  you  to  return  here!" 

His  labored  sarcasm  was  entirely  intelligible.  I  bade  him 
farewell  as  ceremoniously  as  I  could  manage. 

He  silkily  said: 

"I  have  a  bit  of  parting  advice  for  you,  Andivius.  The 
climate  of  Bruttium  is  far  better  than  that  of  Eome  or 
Sabinum  in  promoting  a  recovery  from  any  sort  of  illness; 
it  is  also  far  more  conducive  to  long  life.  If  you  are  wise 


A  RATHER  BAD  DAY  95 

Rome  will  not  see  you  linger  here,  nor  will  either  Sabinum 
or  Rome  see  you  return;  a  word  to  the  wise  is  enough." 

Somehow  I  reached  my  litter.  I  understood  his  implied 
threat  and  saw  endless  difficulties  and  perils  confronting  me. 

At  the  Satronian  mansion  the  lackeys  were  insolent  and 
it  needed  all  Agathemer's  tact  and  self-control,  and  all  mine 
to  browbeat  them  into  admitting  me. 

As  much  as  possible  in  contrast  with  the  Vedian  atrium 
was  the  Satronian  atrium,  a  hall  decorated  as  gorgeously, 
floridly  and  opulently  as  any  in  Rome;  fairly  walled  with 
statues  almost  jostling  in  their  niches,  so  closely  were  the 
niches  set;  and  all  behind,  between  and  above  them  ablaze 
with  crimson  and  glittering  with  gilding;  every  inch  of 
walls  and  ceiling  carved,  colored,  gilded  and  glowing. 

Satronius  was  similarly  in  contrast  with  Vedius,  a  man 
tall,  bulky,  swarthy,  rubicund  and  overbearing. 

No  finesse  about  Satronius,  not  a  trace. 

From  amid  his  bevy  of  sycophants  and  toadies,  over  the 
heads  of  his  fashionably  garbed  guests,  he  towered,  his  face 
red  as  a  beacon,  his  big  bullet  head  wagging,  his  great  mouth 
open. 

He  roared  at  me: 

"What  brings  you  here,  with  your  hands  red  with  the  blood 
of  three  of  my  henchmen?  No  Greek  can  outdo  you  in 
effrontery,  Andivius.  You  are  the  shame  of  our  nobility. 
To  force  your  way  into  my  morning  reception  after  having 
killed  three  of  my  men  in  an  unprovoked  assault  on  them 
on  the  open  road  on  my  own  land!" 

I  kept  my  temper  and  somehow  kept  my  head  clear,  though 
it  buzzed,  and  I  kept  my  feet  though  I  seemed  to  myself  to 
reel.  I  spoke  up  for  myself  boldly  and,  I  thought,  expounded 
the  circumstances  and  my  version  of  the  brawls  even  better 
than  I  had  to  Vedius. 

To  my  amazement  Satronius,  in  more  brutal  language,  all 
but  duplicated  what  Vedius  had  said  to  me,  only  reversing 
the  clan  names.  He  was  convinced  that  I  had  assaulted 
his  men  by  prearrangement  with  the  Vedians,  after  a  mock 
fight  with  them  at  Vediamnum. 


96  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

I  saw  I  was  accomplishing  nothing  and  endeavored  to  es- 
cape after  a  formal  farewell. 

Satronius  roared  after  me: 

"You  left  three  corpses  on  the  roadway  below  my  villa. 
I'll  not  forget  them  nor  will  any  man  of  my  name.  If  you 
have  sense  you'll  keep  away  from  Sabinum,  you'll  get  out 
of  Rome,  you'll  hide  yourself  far  away.  My  men  have  long 
memories  and  keen  eyes.  There'll  be  another  corpse  found 
somewhere  by  and  by  and  the  score  paid  off." 

I  laughed  mirthlessly  to  myself  as  I  climbed  into  my  lit- 
ter. I  had,  in  fact,  embroiled  myself  hopelessly  with  both 
sides  of  the  feud. 

Then  my  men  carried  me  to  the  Palace. 

The  enormousness  and  magnificence  of  the  great  public 
throne-room  had  always  overwhelmed  me  with  a  sense  of  my 
own  insignificance.  On  that  morning,  chagrined  at  my 
reception  by  Yedius  and  Satronius,  weak,  ill  and  tottering 
on  my  feet,  needing  all  my  will  power  to  stand  steadily  and 
not  reel,  with  my  head  buzzing  and  my  ears  humming,  feeling 
large  and  light  and  queer,  I  was  abased  and  crushed  by  the 
vastness  and  hugeness  of  the  room  and  by  the  uncountable 
crowd  which  thronged  it. 

Necessarily  I  was  kept  standing  a  long  time  in  the  press, 
and,  in  my  weakened  condition,  I  found  my  toga  more  than 
usually  a  burden,  which  is  saying  a  great  deal. 

I  suppose  the  toga  was  a  natural  enough  garment  for  our 
ancestors,  who  practically  wore  nothing  else,  as  their  tunics 
were  short  and  light.  But  since  we  have  adopted  and  even 
developed  foreign  fashions  in  attire,  we  are  sufficiently  clad 
without  any  toga  at  all.  To  have  to  conceal  one's  becoming 
clothes  under  a  toga,  on  all  state  and  official  occasions,  is 
irritating  to  any  well-dressed  man  even  in  the  coldest  weather, 
when  the  weight  of  the  toga  is  unnoticed,  since  its  warmth  is 
grateful. 

But  to  have  to  stew  in  a  toga  in  July,  when  the  lightest 
clothing  is  none  too  light,  is  a  positive  affliction,  even  out  of 
doors  on  a  breezy  day.  Indoors,  in  still  and  muggy  weather, 
when  one  is  jammed  in  a  throng  for  an  hour  or  two,  a  toga 


A  RATHER  BAD  DAY  97 

becomes  an  instrument  of  torture.  Yet  togas  we  must  wear 
at  all  public  functions,  and  though  we  rage  at  the  infliction 
and  wonder  at  the  queerness  of  the  fate  which  has,  by  mere 
force  of  traditional  fashion,  condemned  us  to  such  uncon- 
scionable sufferings,  yet  no  one  can  devise  any  means  of 
breaking  with  our  hereditary  social  conventions  in  attire. 
Therefore  we  continue  to  suffer  though  we  rail. 

If  a  toga  is  a  misery  to  a  strong,  well  man,  conceive  of  the 
agonies  I  suffered  in  my  weakened  state,  when  I  needed  rest 
and  fresh  air,  and  had  to  stand,  supporting  that  load  of 
garments,  the  sweat  soaking  my  inner  tunic,  fainting  from 
exhaustion  and  heat. 

I  somewhat  revived  when  Tanno  edged  his  way  through 
the  crowd  and  stood  by  me.  We  talked  of  my  health,  he  re- 
buking me  for  my  rashness  in  coming  out  so  soon,  I  protest- 
ing that  I  was  plenty  well  enough  and  feeling  better  for  my 
outing. 

There  we  stood  an  hour  or  more,  very  uncomfortable, 
Tanno  making  conversation  to  keep  me  cheerful. 

I  needed  his  companionship  and  the  atmosphere  he  dif- 
fused. For  in  addition  to  my  illness  and  the  circumstances 
I  have  described,  I  suffered  from  the  proximity  of  Talponius 
Pulto,  my  only  enemy  among  my  acquaintances  in  the  City. 
I  had  seen  him  once  already  that  morning,  in  the  Vedian 
atrium,  where  he  had  stood  beside  Vedius  Vedianus,  tower- 
ing over  his  diminutive  host,  for  he  was  a  very  tall  man. 
Now,  in  the  Imperial  Audience  Hall,  he  was  almost  a  full 
head  taller  than  any  man  in  the  press  about  him,  so  that 
I  could  not  but  be  aware  of  his  satirical  gaze. 

He  was  a  singularly  handsome  man,  surpassed  by  few 
among  our  nobility,  and  I  had  remarked  how  he  dwarfed 
Vedius,  how  he  made  him  appear  stunted  and  contemptible. 
He  had  a  head  well  shaped  and  well  set,  curly  brown  hair, 
fine  and  abundant,  a  high  forehead,  wide-set  dark  blue  eyes, 
a  chiseled  nose,  a  perfect  mouth  and  a  fine,  rounded  chin. 
His  neck  was  the  envy  of  half  our  most  beautiful  women. 
His  carriage  was  noble  and  he  always  looked  a  very  dis- 
tinguished man. 


98  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

I  could  never  divine  why  he  hated  me,  but  hate  me  he  had 
from  our  earliest  encounters.  He  derided  me,  maligned  me 
and  had  often  thwarted  me  from,  apparently,  mere  spiteful- 
ness. 

As  I  knew  his  evil  gaze  on  me  I  now,  in  my  weakened 
condition,  somehow  felt  unable  to  bear  it. 

Yet  I  was  somewhat  buoyed  up,  as  I  stood  there,  by  a  recur- 
rence of  thoughts  which  I  had  often  had  before  under  simi- 
lar circumstances.  Most  men  of  my  rank  seemed  to  take 
their  wealth  and  position  as  matters  of  course.  I  never 
could.  I  have,  all  my  life,  at  times  meditated  on  my  good 
fortune  in  being  a  Eoman  and  a  Roman  of  equestrian  rank. 
While  waiting  in  the  great  Audience  Hall  of  the  Palace, 
especially,  the  emotions  aroused  by  these  meditations  often 
became  so  poignant  as  almost  to  overcome  me,  on  this  day 
in  particular.  As  I  viewed  the  splendor  of  the  Hall  and  the 
gorgeousness  of  the  crowd  that  thronged  it,  my  heart  swelled 
at  the  thought  of  being  part  of  all  that  magnificence.  It 
thrilled  me  to  feel  that  I  had  a  share  and  had  a  right  to  a 
share  in  Eome's  glory. 

The  Emperor  was  busy  with  a  succession  of  embassies, 
delegations  and  so  on,  and,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  was  in  a 
good  humor  and  trying  to  appear  affable  and  not  to  seem 
bored. 

After  the  deputations  were  disposed  of  the  senators  passed 
before  the  throne  and  saluted  the  Prince.  Commodus  barely 
spoke  to  most  of  them ;  it  seemed  to  me,  indeed,  that  he  said 
more  to  Vedius  and  Satronius  than  to  any  other  senators. 

Then  came  the  turn  of  us  knights,  far  more  numerous 
than  the  senators.  The  ushers  positively  hurried  ua 
along. 

To  me,  to  my  amazement,  the  Emperor  spoke  very  kindly. 

"I  am  delighted  to  see  you  here  today,  Hedulio,"  he  said. 
"And  I  am  sorry  that  I  have  no  time  for  what  I  want  to 
ask  you  and  say  to  you. 

"I  have  heard  of  your  illness  and  I  know  how  it  origi- 
nated. Galen  told  me  you  ought  to  keep  your  bed  for  days 
yet.  Are  you  sure  you  are  well  enough  to  be  out?" 


A  RATHER  BAD  DAY  99 

"I  think  it  is  doing  me  good,  your  Majesty/*  I  replied. 
"Your  words  are,  I  know/' 

"If  you  feel  too  ill  to  come  here  tomorrow/'  he  said,  'Til 
hold  you  excused,  but  in  that  case  send  a  message  early.  I 
want  you  here  tomorrow,  specially,  come  if  you  can. 

"Meanwhile,  tell  me,  has  coming  here  to-day  tired  you? 
Can  you  stay  longer?" 

"I  certainly  can,"  I  replied,  elated  at  his  notice. 

"Then  stay  here  till  this  tiresome  ceremonial  is  over/'  he 
said,  "and  accompany  me  to  the  Palace  Stadium.  I  have 
some  yokes  of  chariot  horses  to  look  over  and  try  out,  and 
some  new  chariots  to  try.  I  want  you  there.  I  may  need 
your  advice." 

Flattered,  I  felt  strength  course  through  my  veins  and 
fatigue  vanish.  I  passed  completely  round  the  lower  part 
of  the  room  and,  with  Tanno,  took  my  stand  near  the  south- 
eastern door,  by  which  he  would  pass  out  if  on  his  way  to  the 
Stadium. 

Few  senators  passed  through  that  door  with  the  party 
of  which  I  was  one,  the  invitations  being  based  on  horseman- 
ship and  good  fellowship,  not  on  wealth,  social  prominence 
or  political  importance. 

In  the  Stadium,  of  course,  it  was  not  only  possible  but 
natural  to  sit  down  and  Tanno  and  I  took  our  seats  in  the 
shade  and  as  far  back  as  our  rank  permitted. 

I  was  amazed  to  find  how  much  I  needed  to  sit  down, 
what  a  relief  it  was,  and  to  realize  how  near  I  had  been  to 
fainting.  In  the  breezy  shade  I  soon  revived  and  felt  my 
strength  come  back. 

From  my  comfortable  seat  I  watched  one  of  those  exhibi- 
tions of  miraculous  horsemanship  of  which  only  Commodus 
was  capable. 

The  Palace  Stadium,  of  course,  is  a  very  large  and  im- 
pressive structure  and  its  arena  of  no  mean  extent.  But 
compared,  not  merely  with  the  Circus  Maximus,  but  with 
the  Flaminian  Circus  or  Domitian's  Stadium  it  seemed  small 
and  contracted. 

In  this  comparatively  cramped  space  Commodus,  divested 


100  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  his  official  robes  and  clad  only  in  a  charioteer's  tunic,  belt 
and  boots,  performed  some  amazing  feats  of  horsemastery. 

The  pace  to  which  he  could  speed  up  a  four-horse  team 
on  that  short  straight-away,  his  ability  to  postpone  slowing 
them  down  for  the  turn,  and  yet  to  pull  them  in  handily 
and  in  time,  the  deftness  and  precision  of  his  short  turns, 
the  promptness  with  which  he  compelled  them  to  gather 
speed  after  the  turn,  these  were  astonishing,  enough;  but 
far  more  astonishing  were  his  grace  of  pose,  his  perfect  form 
in  every  motion,  the  ease  of  all  his  manoeuvres,  the  sense 
of  his  effortless  control  of  his  vehicle,  of  reserve  strength 
greatly  in  excess  of  the  strength  he  exerted ;  these  were  noth- 
ing short  of  dazzling.  His  pride  in  his  artistry,  for  it 
amounted  to  that,  and  his  enjoyment  of  every  detail  of  what 
he  did  and  of  the  sport  in  general,  was  infectious  and  delight- 
ful. I  felt  my  love  of  horses  growing  in  me  with  my  admira- 
tion for  so  perfect  a  horseman,  felt  the  like  in  all  the 
spectators. 

Team  after  team  and  chariot  after  chariot  he  tried  out. 

Meanwhile  Tanno  and  I,  seated  comfortably  side  by  side, 
varied  our  watching  of  Commodus  and  our  praises  of  his 
driving  with  talk  of  my  embroilment  with  both  sides  of  the 
feud,  with  rehearsing  to  each  other  the  unseen  missteps 
which  had  led  me  into  such  a  hideous  predicament,  and  with 
discussions  of  what  might  be  done  to  set  me  right  with  both 
clans.  Also  he  described  again  to  me  what  had  occurred 
on  the  road  after  I  was  knocked  senseless  and  rehearsed  his 
version  of  both  fights,  I  commenting  and  telling  him  what 
I  recalled. 

"What  occupies  my  thoughts  most,"  he  said,  "is  that  stat- 
uesque horseback  informer  planted  by  the  roadside  in  the 
rain.  What  in  the  name  of  Mercury  was  he  doing  in  your 
Sabine  fog  so  early  on  a  wet  day  ?" 

I  was  unable  to  make  any  conjecture. 

For  some  time  Commodus  was  almost  uninterruptedly  on 
the  arena,  making  his  changes  from  team  to  team,  with 
scarcely  an  instant's  interval.  When  he  lingered  under  the 
arcade  at  the  starting  end  of  the  Stadium  Tanno  remarked: 


A  RATHER  BAD  DAY  101 

"We  had  best  join  the  gathering.  Do  you  feel  sufficiently 
rested?" 

I  stood  up  and,  for  the  first  time  that  day,  did  so  without 
any  dizziness,  lightheadedness  or  weakness  in  my  knees.  I 
felt  almost  myself. 

Under  the  arcade  we  found  Commodus  explaining  the  mer- 
its of  a  new  chariot  made  after  his  own  design.  It  was  a 
beautiful  specimen  of  the  vehicle-maker's  art,  its  pole  tipped 
with  a  bronze  lion's  head  exquisitely  chased,  the  pole  itself 
of  ash,  the  axle  and  wheel-spokes  of  cornel-wood,  all  the 
woodwork  gilded,  the  hubs  and  tires  of  wrought  bronze, 
also  gilded,  the  front  of  the  chariot-body  of  hammered 
bronze,  embossed  with  figures  depicting  two  of  the  Labors  of 
Hercules ;  every  part  profusely  decorated  and  the  whole  eifect 
very  tasteful. 

Commodus  ignored  all  these  beauties  entirely  and  dis- 
coursed of  its  measurements. 

"Come  close,  Hedulio,"  he  commanded,  "this  is  just  what 
I  wanted  you  for." 

The  jockeys,  athletes,  acrobats  and  mimes  about  him  made 
way  for  Tanno  and  me  and  some  other  gentlemen. 

"I  have  always  had  very  definite  theories  of  chariot 
construction,"  Commodus  went  on.  "I  hold  that  the  popular 
makes  are  all  bad;  in  fact  I  am  positively  of  the  opinion 
that  the  tendencies  in  chariot  building  have  been  all  in  the 
wrong  direction  for  centuries.  They  have  followed  and  in- 
tensified the  traditions  from  ancient  days,  when  chariots  were 
chiefly  used  for  battle  and  only  once  in  a  while  for  racing. 

"For  battle  purposes  chariots,  of  course,  were  built  for 
speed  and  quick  turning,  but  after  that,  to  avoid  upsets. 
When  a  man  was  going  to  drive  a  pair  of  half-wild  stallions 
across  trackless  country,  over  gullies  and  boulders,  through 
bushes,  up  and  down  hill,  often  along  a  gravelly  hillside, 
he  saw  to  it  that  his  chariot  would  keep  right  side  up  no 
matter  how  it  bounced  and  tilted  and  swerved.  He  made 
sure  that  his  axle  was  long,  his  wheels  far  apart,  and  their 
spokes  short,  so  that  his  chariot-bed  was  as  low  as  possible. 
He  was  right 


102  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"But,  after  fighting  from  chariots  was  wholly  a  thing  of 
the  past  in  Italy  and  chariots  were  used,  as  they  are  used, 
for  racing  only,  why  cling  to  provisions  for  obsolete  uses? 

"A  good  general  thinks  of  winning  victories,  not,  like  the 
fools  I  have  disgracing  me  along  the  Ehine,  of  avoiding 
defeats.  So  a  good  charioteer  ought  to  think,  not  of  avoid- 
ing upsets,  but  of  winning  races.  Yet  all  charioteers  appear 
to  want  their  vehicles  as  low  built  as  possible,  with  short 
spoked  wheels,  wide  apart  on  the  ends  of  a  long  axle.  That 
makes  them  feel  safer  on  a  short  turn,  and,  so  help  me 
Hercules,  I  hardly  blame  them,  anyhow.  Besides,  they  all 
want  to  spraddle  their  legs  apart  and  set  their  feet  wide, 
so  as  to  stand  firm  on  the  chariot  bed,  so  they  want  the 
chariot  body  made  as  wide  as  possible. 

"Now  I  don't  need  to  plant  my  feet  far  apart  when  I  drive. 
I  believe  I  could  drive  on  one  foot  and  keep  my  balance. 
So  I  hold  a  broad  chariot  body  is  worse  than  unnecessary. 
More  than  that  I  maintain  that  the  lower  the  axle  is  set,  the 
less  the  team's  strength  goes  into  attaining  speed.  The 
lower  the  axle  is  set,  the  more  sharply  the  pole  slopes  up- 
ward from  the  axle  to  the  yoke-ring;  the  less  of  the  team's 
energy  goes  into  pulling  the  chariot  along,  the  more  of  it 
is  wasted,  so  to  speak,  on  lifting  the  chariot  into  the  air 
at  every  leap  forward.  The  higher  the  axle  is  set,  the  nearer 
the  pole  is  to  being  level,  the  less  power  is  wasted  on  that 
upward  pull  and  the  more  is  utilized  on  the  forward  pull  and 
goes  to  produce  speed. 

"Then  again,  I  maintain  that  the  farther  apart  the  wheels 
are  set  the  more  one  drags  against  the  other,  not  only  at 
the  turns,  where  anyone  can  see  the  outer  wheel  drag  on 
the  inner,  but  at  every  swerve  of  the  team  on  the  straight- 
away. All  such  dragging  reduces  speed  and  tires  the  team 
with  pulling  which  is  energy  utterly  wasted. 

"I  hold  the  ideal  racing  chariot  should  have  a  chariot 
body  as  narrow  as  possible,  not  much  wider  than  the  width 
of  the  driver's  hips;  should  have  the  wheels  as  close  together 
as  possible,  to  diminish  the  drag  of  one  wheel  against  the 
other,  should  have  the  axle  set  as  high  as  can  be  managed. 


A  RATHER  BAD  DAY  103 

"All  charioteers  exclaim  that  such  a  chariot  tends  to  over- 
get.  So  it  does.  But  I  never  have  had  an  overset  and  I 
never  expect  to  overset.  I  know  how  to  drive  and  poise 
myself  so  as  to  keep  my  chariot  right  side  up,  and  I  never 
think  of  oversetting,  I  think  of  winning  my  race,  and  al- 
ways do. 

"Anyhow,  here  before  your  eyes,  is  my  new  racing  chariot 
arid  of  all  the  chariots  ever  made  on  earth  this  has  the  long- 
est wheel-spokes,  the  highest-set  axle,  the  closest-set  wheels 
and  the  narrowest  chariot  body.  Now  I'm  going  to  try  it 
out  and  show  it  off." 

He  did  to  admiration,  amid  excited  acclaims,  his  four 
cream-colored  mares  fairly  flying  along  the  straights  and  tak- 
ing the  turns  at  a  pace  which  made  us  hold  our  breath. 

After  this  thrilling  exhibition  he  came  back  under  the 
arcade  and  spoke  to  me  first. 

"Hedulio,"  he  said,  "you  are  one  of  the  most  competent 
horsemasters  I  ever  knew.  What  do  you  think  of  my  idea 
of  the  best  form  for  a  racing  chariot?" 

"I  think,"  I  said,  "that  it  has  all  the  merits  you  claim 
for  it,  but  that  not  one  charioteer  in  ten  thousand  could 
drive  in  it  and  avoid  an  upset,  sooner  or  later,  at  a  turn." 

"Right  you  are !"  he  replied,  "but  I  am  one  charioteer  in 
ten  thousand." 

"Say  in  a  hundred  thousand,"  I  ventured  to  add.  "For 
surely  you  could  not  find,  among  all  the  professionals  in 
the  Empire,  any  other  man  to  equal  you  in  team-driving." 

He  beamed  at  me. 

When  we  left  the  Palace  Tanno  saw  me  in  my  litter  and 
insisted  on  following  behind  mine  in  his  until  he  had  seen 
me  out  of  mine  and  into  my  own  house. 

There  I  had  a  very  brief  and  very  light  lunch,  Agathemer 
hovering  over  me  and  reminding  me  of  Galen's  orders  for 
my  diet,  so  that  I  found  myself  forbidden  every  viand  which 
I  craved  and  asked  for,  and  limited  to  the  very  simple  fare 
which  had  been  prepared  for  me. 

After  lunch  I  went  to  bed  and  to  sleep. 

I  woke  soon  and  very  wide  awake.    When  I  rolled  into 


104  ANDIVTUS  HEDULIO 

bed  I  had  felt  so  utterly  done  up  with  the  excitement  of  my 
interviews  with  Vedius  and  Satronius,  with  the  exertion  of 
standing  in  the  Throne-room  and  through  the  Emperor's 
lecture  on  chariot  design,  that  I  had  renounced  my  intention 
of  calling  on  Vedia  and  had  resigned  myself  to  postponing 
my  attempt  to  see  her  until  the  morrow. 

I  woke  all  feverish  energy  and  restless  determination  to 
go  to  see  her  at  once.  Therefore,  between  the  siesta  hour  and 
the  hour  of  the  bath,  I  presented  myself  at  Vedia's  mansion. 

I  was  at  once  ushered  into  her  atrium,  where  I  found 
myself  alone  and  where  I  sat  waiting  some  time. 

When  a  maid  summoned  me  into  her  tablinum,  I  found 
her  alone,  seated  in  her  favorite  lounging  chair,  charmingly 
attired  and,  I  thought,  more  lovely  than  I  had  ever  seen  her. 

"Oh,  Caia!"  I  cried. 

She  bridled  and  stared  at  me  haughtily. 

"'Vedia/"  if  you  please,  she  said  coldly.  "You  have  no 
manner  of  right  to  'Caia'  me,  Andivius." 

The  "distant  formality  of  her  address,  her  disdainful  tone, 
the  affront  of  her  words,  chilled  me  like  a  dash  of  cold 
water. 

"Caia!"  I  stammered,  "Vedia,  I  mean.  What  has  hap- 
pened? What  is  wrong?"  For  I  could  not  credit  that 
she  would  be  incensed  with  me  because  of  my  involvement 
in  the  affray  in  Vediamnum  nor  that  she  would  condemn 
me  unheard,  especially  as  Tanno  had  told  me,  in  the  Stadium 
of  the  Palace,  that  he  had  taken  care  to  call  on  Vedia,  and 
give  her  his  version  of  my  mishap. 

She  glowered  at  me. 

"Your  effrontery,"  she  burst  out,  "amazes  me.  I  am  in- 
credulous that  I  really  see  you  in  my  home,  that  you  really 
have  the  shamelessness  to  force  yourself  into  my  presence! 
It  is  an  unforgivable  affront  that  you  should  pretend  love 
for  me  and  aspire  to  be  my  husband  and  all  the  while  be 
philandering  after  a  f reedwoman ;  but  that  you  should  parade 
yourself  on  the  high  road  with  her  all  the  way  from  your 
villa  to  Rome,  with  the  hussy  enthroned  in  your  own  travel- 
ling carriage,  is  far  worse.  That  you  should  get  involved  in 


A  RATHER  BAD  DAY  105 

roadside  brawls  with  competitors  for  the  possession  of  the 
minx  is  worse  yet.  Worst  of  all  that  you  should  advertise 
by  all  these  doings,  to  all  our  world,  your  infatuation  for 
such  a  creature  and  your  greater  interest  in  her  than  in  me. 
I  am  indignant  that  I  have  considered  marrying  a  suitor 
capable  of  such  vileness,  of  such  fatuity,  of  such  folly." 

I  was  like  a  sailboat  taken  all  aback  by  a  sudden  change  of 
wind.  I  could  not  believe  my  ears. 

"I  never  took  the  slightest  interest  in  Marcia,"  I  protested, 
"except  to  keep  my  uncle  from  marrying  her,  after  he  set 
her  free.  She  made  eyes  at  me  also,  of  course,  for  she 
made  eyes  at  every  marriageable  man  within  reach.  But  I 
never  had  anything  to  do  with  her,  never  called  on  her  by 
myself,  never  so  much  as  talked  to  her  alone.  I  went  to 
her  dinners,  of  course.  All  widowers  and  bachelors  of  our 
district  went  to  her  dinners.  But  her  dinners  were  the 
pattern  of  propriety  in  every  way.  Your  own  grandmother's 
famous  dinners  were  not  more  decorous.  Except  for  being 
a  guest,  with  others,  at  her  dinners,  I  never  was  at  her  villa. 
I  lent  my  carriage  not  to  her  but  to  her  bridegroom,  Marcus 
Martius,  a  prosperous  gentleman  of  my  neighborhood,  of 
whom  you  have  often  heard  me  speak,  a  friend  of  my  uncle's 
and  a  friend  of  mine  since  boyhood.  The  fights,  as  Tanno 
explained  to  you,  had  nothing  to  do  with  Marcia  and  her 
involvement  in  them  was  as  accidental  as  mine." 

Vedia  did  not  look  a  particle  mollified. 

"You  men,"  she  said,  "are  all  alike.  You  will  philander 
about  your  nasty  jades.  But,  at  least,  when  you  vow  that 
you  love  one  woman  and  one  only,  and  use  every  artifice  to 
induce  her  to  marry  you,  you  should  feel  it  incumbent  on 
you  to  keep  away  from  such  creatures  as  this  Marcia  of 
yours.  But  you  must  needs  dangle  about  her  and  go  to  her 
dinners.  That  was  bad  enough.  But,  while  wooing  me,  to 
arrange  a  mock  marriage  for  her  with  a  local  confederate 
and  then  positively  bring  her  to  Rome  with  you  was  infi- 
nitely worse.  I  am  insulted,  of  course.  But,  above  and 
beyond  your  treachery  to  me,  I  am  insulted  at  your  bungling 
your  clumsy  intrigues  and  flaunting  the  minx  in  the  face  of 


106  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

all  the  world  and  setting  all  fashionable  Rome  to  gossiping 
about  you  and  your  hussy  and  to  wondering  how  I  am  going 
to  act  about  it. 

"I'll  show  them  and  you  how  I  am  going  to  act!  I'm 
angry  at  your  double-dealing;  at  your  lies  I  am  furious.  I 
hate  you.  I  hope  I'll  never  set  eyes  on  you  again.  The 
sooner  you  are  gone,  the  better  I'll  like  it.  And  I'll  give 
orders  to  ensure  your  never  darkening  my  doors  again !" 

I  tried  to  argue  with  her,  to  persuade  her,  to  convince 
her,  to  induce  her  to  listen  to  me. 

She  raged  at  me. 

Dazed,  I  groped  my  way  to  my  litter  and,  once  in  it, 
lost  consciousness  entirely,  not  in  a  faint,  but  in  the  sleep 
of  total  exhaustion. 

As  I  rolled  into  my  litter,  feeling  utterly  unfit  to  enjoy  a 
bath  with  any  natural  associates,  I  had  ordered  my  bearers 
to  take  me  home. 

There  I  rested  a  while,  for  I  waked  before  I  reached  home. 
Then  I  bathed,  ate  a  simple  dinner,  alone  with  Agathemer, 
and  went  at  once  to  bed. 


CHAPTER  VII 

A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY 

I  SLEPT  soundly  all  night  but  woke  at  the  first  appear- 
ance of  light.  I  lay  abed,  my  mind  milling  over  my 
situation,  over  Vedia's  unexpected  jealousy  of  Marcia,  over 
the  absurdity  of  it,  over  her  illogical  but  impregnable  indig- 
nation and  over  the  equally  baseless  but  similarly  unalterable 
hostility  of  Vedius  and  Satronius. 

I  concluded  to  try  again  to  placate  all  three.  It  seemed 
to  me  I  could  recall  many  omissions  and  infelicities  in  what 
I  had  said  to  both  magnates,  while  in  dealing  with  Vedia 
I  seemed  to  myself  to  have  been  tongue-tied  and  fragmentary. 

After  the  bit  of  bread  and  hot  mulled  wine  which  I  did 


A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY  107 

not  crave,  but  which  Agathemer  insisted  on  my  taking  accord- 
ing to  Galen's  orders,  I  held  a  brief  morning  reception.  My 
nine  farmer-tenants  were  all  present,  all  pathetically  and 
touchingly  glad  to  see  me  again  about,  even  old  Chryseros 
Philargyrus. 

They  had  a  petition  to  prefer,  namely,  that  I  should  give 
them  permission  to  leave  Rome  and  return  home,  jointly  and 
severally,  just  as  soon  as  they  pleased.  Ligo  Atrior  acted 
as  spokesman  and  said  that  they  had  come  provided  for  a 
month's  stay,  as  I  had  ordered,  but  they  felt  that  they  could 
see  all  the  sights  of  Rome  which  would  interest  them  before 
the  month  was  out,  and  some  sooner  than  others.  Moreover 
they  felt  that  although  they  had  left  their  farms  in  the  best 
of  condition  and  in  faithful  hands,  yet  their  desire  to  return 
home  would  soon  overcome  their  interest  in  sight-seeing  and 
would  grow  more  overmastering  daily. 

I  readily  accorded  what  they  asked. 

Murmex  Lucro  was  there,  and  his  appearance  of  super" 
human  strength  impressed  me  even  more  than  on  the  road. 
I  bade  him  meet  me  at  the  Palace,  and  instructed  him  by 
which  entrance  to  approach  it  and  at  what  portal  and  pre- 
cisely where  to  take  his  stand  in  order  that  I  might  not 
miss  him.  Agathemer  suggested  that  I  detail  one  of  my 
slaves  to  act  as  his  guide  and  I  did  so. 

My  salutants  disposed  of  without  hurry  and  to  the  last 
man,  in  spite  of  Agathemer's  protests,  I  ordered  my  litter. 

At  the  Vedian  mansion  I  was  refused  admission.  Agathe- 
mer and  even  I  argued  and  expostulated,  but  the  doorkeeper 
said  he  had  explicit  orders  not  to  admit  me,  and  the  four 
big  Nubians  flanking  the  vestibule,  two  on  a  side,  looked 
capable  of  using  muscular  force  on  any  would-be  intruder 
and  appeared  eager  for  a  pretext  for  hurling  themselves 
on  me. 

I  climbed  back  into  my  litter. 

As  my  men  shouldered  it,  the  doorkeeper  or  some  one  of 
his  helpers  made  the  mistake  of  unchaining  the  watch-dog 
at  me. 

He  was  a  big,  short-haired,  black  and  white  Aquitanian 


108  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

dog.  He  flew  at  the  calves  of  my  bearers,  snarling,  and 
would  have  bitten  them  badly  had  I  not  half  rolled,  half 
fallen  from  my  litter,  almost  into  his  jaws;  in  fact,  not  a 
foot  in  front  of  him. 

As  all  such  animals  always  do  with  me,  he  checked,  cow- 
ered, fawned  and  then  exhibited  every  symptom  of  recog- 
nition, delight  and  affection.  I  patted  him,  pulled  his  ears, 
smoothed  his  spine  and  climbed  back  into  my  litter.  The 
dog  took  his  place  under  it  as  naturally  as  if  I  had  raised 
him  from  a  puppy  and  kept  neatly  underneath  it,  all  the 
way  to  the  Satronian  Mansion. 

There,  at  sight  of  me,  as  I  descended  from  my  litter,  the 
doorkeeper  loosed  his  big  fawn-colored  Moloseian  hound  at 
me.  And  he  came  in  silence,  but  his  lips  wrinkled  off  his 
teeth,  swift  as  a  lion  and  looking  in  fact  as  big  as  a  yearling 
lioness  and  not  unlike  one  in  outline  and  color. 

The  Aquitanian  from  under  the  litter  flew  at  him  with  a 
snarl,  the  Molossian  replied  with  a  louder  snarl,  the  two 
dogs  clinched  and  tore  each  other,  snarling,  and  hung  to 
each  other,  worrying  and  growling  and  snarling,  to  the 
delight  of  my  bearers. 

Out  of  the  Satronian  mansion  poured  a  small  mob  of 
footmen,  lackeys  and  such  house-slaves.  But  not  one  dared 
approach  the  two  dogs.  At  a  safe  distance  they  watched  the 
fight. 

I  seized  the  dogs,  spoke  to  them,  quieted  them,  separated 
them  and  when  I  ordered  them,  they  lay  down  side  by  side 
under  the  litter. 

I  climbed  in. 

As  my  bearers  shouldered  the  litter,  the  Satronian  door- 
keeper came  forward  and  said  truculently: 

"That  is  our  dog  under  your  litter." 

"Is  he  your  dog?"  I  retorted.  "Prove  it!  Take  hold  of 
him." 

The  doorkeeper  tried  and  the  Molossian  snarled  at  him. 
He  called  the  footmen  to  help  him. 

At  that  somehow,  I  both  lost  my  temper  and  felt  prankish. 

"Chase  'em,  Terror,"  I  called.     "Chase  'em,  Fury!" 


A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY  109 

It  was  a  wonder  to  see  the  Aquitanian  obey,  to  see  the 
Molossian  obey  was  a  portent. 

Into  the  mansion  scuttled  the  doorkeeper,  the  footmen, 
the  lackeys,  the  hangers-on,  the  two  dogs  barking  at  their 
heels. 

I  called  them  off  in  time  to  forestall  any  lacerated  ankles, 
and  still  more  marvellously  they  obeyed  instantly,  checked, 
withdrew  to  under  the  litter  and  there  paced,  side  by  side, 
to  Vedia's  home. 

There,  also,  I  was  denied  admission,  but  urbanely,  the 
porter  asserting  that  his  mistress  was  not  at  home. 

While  I  was  questioning  the  porter,  who  was  becomingly 
respectful,  a  bevy  of  Vedian  retainers,  house-lackeys  and 
other  slaves,  overtook  me,  demanding  the  return  of  the 
Aquitanian  watchdog. 

"Take  him!"  I  said,  "take  him  if  you  can!" 

The  boldest  of  them  approached  the  dog,  calling  him  by 
name  and  wheedlingly.  When  he  was  but  a  yard  or  so 
away  the  dog  flew  at  his  throat  and  almost  set  his  fangs 
into  it,  for  they  snapped  together  a  mere  hand's  breadth 
short. 

The  fellow  recoiled  and,  when  the  dog  followed  like  an 
arrow  from  a  bow,  took  to  his  heels,  his  companions  with 
him,  and  they  ran  helter-skelter  down  the  street,  the  dog 
pursuing  them  to  the  corner  of  the  Carinae,  and  returning, 
his  tongue  hanging  out,  his  tail  wagging,  with  all  the  demon- 
strations of  a  dog  who  feels  he  has  done  his  full  duty  and 
has  earned  approbation. 

Hardly  had  he  returned  when  a  band  of  Satronians  ap- 
peared and  a  similar  scene  was  enacted,  with  the  Molossian 
as  chief  actor. 

When  the  last  Satronian  had  vanished  round  the  corner 
of  the  thoroughfare  I  reentered  my  litter  and  we  set  off  for 
the  Palace,  both  dogs  sedately  pacing  side  by  side  under- 
neath. 

At  the  Palace  portal  Agathemer  had  no  difficulty  in  locat- 
ing Murmex,  even  in  the  crowd  which  packed  all  approaches 
to  that  entrance.  I  spoke  to  the  centurion  on  duty  at  the 


110  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

portal  and  to  the  head  out-door  usher,  meaning  to  arrange 
that  Murmex  should  be  let  in  among  the  first  when  the  com- 
monality were  admitted  after  the  senators  and  knights  had 
paid  their  duty  to  the  Emperor.  To  my  amazement  the 
head  usher  looked  at  a  list  or  memorandum  which  he  had 
in  his  hand  and  said: 

"You  are  Andivius  Hedulio,  are  you  not?  You  are  to 
take  in  with  you  anybody  you  please,  to  the  number  of  ten. 
Caesar  has  given  special  orders  about  you/'  Murmex  there- 
fore passed  in  with  me  and  took  up  a  position  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  Audience  Hall,  where  I  could  send  a  page  to 
summon  him  if  my  plans  worked  out  as  I  hoped. 

We  were  early  and  the  vast  public  throne-room  almost 
empty.  Tanno  joined  me  after  I  had  stood  but  a  short  time 
and  not  long  afterwards  the  Emperor  entered,  just  as  a  fair 
crowd  of  senators  had  assembled. 

The  formal  salutation  began  at  once  and  I  noticed  that 
the  Emperor  said  something  personal  to  Vedius  and  that 
Vedius  stepped  out  of  the  line  of  salutants  and  took  up  a 
position  behind  the  Emperor  on  his  left.  Similarly  he  spoke 
to  Satronius,  who  similarly  took  his  station  behind  the 
Emperor  on  his  right. 

When,  in  the  long  line  of  my  equals,  in  an  Audience  Hall 
now  jammed  to  the  doors,  I  drew  near  to  the  throne,  I  felt 
a  growing  embarrassment  at  seeing  the  Emperor  flanked 
by  my  two  enemies.  But,  when  I  made  my  salutation,  to 
my  amazement,  the  Emperor  took  my  hand  and  leaned  over 
and  kissed  me  as  if  I  had  been  a  senator. 

"I  love  you,  Hedulio,"  he  said,  "and  I  am  proud  of  you. 
I  have  heard  very  laudatory  reports  of  you.  My  agents  all 
agree  in  reporting  that  you  have,  in  very  difficult  circum- 
stances, done  your  utmost  to  avoid  giving  offence  to  any 
of  your  neighbors  in  Sabinum,  and  that,  if  you  have  given 
offense,  it  was  not  your  fault.  They  also  agree  in  report- 
ing that,  mild  and  peaceful  as  you  are  by  disposition,  you 
know  how  to  defend  yourself  when  attacked,  that  you  are 
not  only  a  bold  and  resolute  man  in  a  tight  place,  but  re- 
sourceful and  prompt,  a  hard  and  quick  hitter,  and  what  is 


A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY  111 

more,  a  past  master  at  quarter-staff  play.  I  love  brave  men 
and  good  fighters.  I  commend  you/' 

He  turned  ironically  to  Vedius  and  asked: 

"Did  you  miss  any  part  of  what  I  have  just  said  to  An- 
divius?  I  meant  you  to  hear  every  word  of  it." 

Vedius,  his  mean  face  lead-gray,  bowed  and  said: 

"Your  Majesty  was  completely  audible." 

Then  Commodus  similarly  questioned  Satronius.  He,  his 
big  face  brick-red,  his  eyes  popping  out,  seemed  half  strangled 
by  his  efforts  to  speak. 

"I  could  hear  it  all,"  he  managed  to  say. 

"You  two  stand  facing  me,"  Commodus  commanded. 
"Stand  on  either  side  of  Andivius." 

They  so  placed  themselves  with  a  very  bad  grace. 

The  Emperor  raised  his  voice. 

"Come  near,  all  you  senators,"  he  commanded.  "I  want 
all  of  you  to  hear  what  I  am  about  to  say  and  to  be  wit- 
nesses to  it." 

Everybody,  senators,  knights  and  commoners  crowded  as 
close  to  the  throne  as  etiquette  and  the  ushers  would  allow. 

"Now  listen  to  me,"  spoke  Commodus.  "You  know  I  hate 
all  sorts  of  official  business  and  should  greatly  prefer  to  put 
my  entire  time  and  energies  on  athletics,  horsemanship  and 
swordsmanship,  archery  and  other  things  really  worth  while. 
I  make  no  secret  of  my  love  for  the  activities  at  which  I  am 
best  and  of  my  detestation  of  my  duties. 

"But,  just  because  I  hate  my  duties,  it  does  not  follow 
that  I  neglect  them.  A  lot  of  you  think  I  do.  I'll  show 
you  you  are  not  always  right,  nor  often  right.  Just  because 
I  surround  myself  with  wrestlers  and  charioteers  and  gladi- 
ators and  other  good  fellows,  not  with  senile  self-styled 
philosophers,  prosy  and  with  unkempt  beards  and  rough 
cloaks,  as  my  father  did,  half  of  you  think  I  am  incapable 
of  being  serious,  or  haven't  intellect  enough  to  understand 
government  or  sense  enough  to  care  for  the  Empire. 

"Yon  are  mightily  mistaken.  I  realize  the  importance 
of  my  responsibilities  and  the  magnificence  of  my  oppor- 
tunities. I  hate  routine,  but  I  know  well  the  value  of  our 


112  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Empire  and  that  I,  as  Prince  of  the  Republic,*  have  a  bigger 
stake  in  it  than  any  other  citizen  of  our  Republic.  I  am  not 
wholly  absorbed  in  the  joys  of  practicing  feats  of  strength 
and  skill.  I  put  more  time  on  governing  than  you  think. 

"I  am  autocrat  of  our  world,  and  I  know  how  to  make 
my  influence  felt  when  I  choose.  I  have  very  positive  viewg 
about  fighting.  Fighting  has  to  go  on,,  on  the  frontiers  of 
the  Empire.  My  army  can  keep  off  our  foes,  but  it  cannot 
kill  off  the  Moorish  and  Arab  and  Scythian  nomads,  nor 
the  hordes  of  the  German  forests  and  the  Caledonian  moors. 
The  Marcomanni  and  the  rest  will  claw  at  us.  There  must 
be  fighting  on  the  frontiers.  It  is  proper  that  there  should 
be  fighting  where  necessary,  on  any  frontier,  and  corpses 
scattered  about. 

"Also  corpses  are  in  place  on  any  arena  of  any  amphi- 
theatre anywhere  inside  our  frontiers;  fighting  inside  amphi- 
theatres is  proper  and  seemly. 

"But  I  will  tolerate  no  fighting  inside  our  frontiers  outside 
the  amphitheatres.  I'll  not  condone  any  corpses  on  the 
pavement  of  any  street  or  on  the  road  of  any  highway  or 
byways.  Fll  not  permit  any  battles,  set-tos,  affrays  or 
brawls  in  towns  or  villages  or  on  roads.  You  hear  me? 
You  hear  me,  Vedius  ?  You  hear  me,  Satronius  ?  You  hear 
me,  all  of  you? 

"Now  it  so  happened  that  I  had  heard  of  your  disgraceful 
Sabine  feud,  which  mars  the  peace  of  a  whole  countryside 
near  Reate,  and  I  had  sent  a  competent  and  reliable  agent 
with  four  assistants  to  investigate  and  report.  For  once 
luck  was  with  me:  generally  my  luck  as  a  ruler  is  as  bad 
as  it  is  good  for  me  as  an  athlete.  It  so  happened  that 
my  agents  had  just  completed  their  preliminary  investiga- 
tions and  acquainted  themselves  with  general  conditions 
when  your  idiotic  feud  broke  loose  in  two  abductions  of 
women,  one  by  each  side,  that  put  my  agents  on  their  mettle. 
They  kept  awake.  They  are  no  fools.  My  head  man  has  a 
keen  scent  for  incipient  trouble;  he  managed  to  have  one 
of  his  helpers  get  among  the  ambushers  in  Vediamuum  and 
another  among  those  on  your  byway,  Satronius.  Each  of 


A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY  113 

these  two  severally  heard  all  the  talk  of  the  ambushers  with 
whom  he  mingled;  so  I  have  had  a  faithful  report  of  just 
what  the  Vedian  ambush  meant  to  do  to  the  Satronian  con- 
voy they  lay  in  wait  for  and  similarly  of  the  other  side. 
Each  was  waiting  for  a  sheep;  both  caught  a  wildcat.  If 
the  men  in  the  ambushes  had  had  any  eyes  or  any  sense, 
no  fight  would  have  occurred.  As  it  was  they  got  no  more 
than  they  deserved.  Hedulio  was  set  on  without  provocation 
and  merely  defended  himself  and  his  associates  as  any  self- 
respecting  free  man  would.  I  have  no  fault  to  find  with 
Hedulio.  I  take  you  all  to  witness. 

"Now  that  disposes  of  what  is  past.  As  to  the  future 
I  shall  tolerate  no  illegalities  of  any  kind  anywhere  in  the 
City,  in  Italy  or  in  the  Empire.  You'll  see.  Dr.  Com- 
modus  will  cure  this  epidemic  of  lawlessness  which  afflicts 
the  Republic.  You'll  see  my  agents  run  down,  catch  and 
bring  to  punishment  the  ingenious  rascals  who  have  been 
amusing  themselves  by  masquerading  as  Imperial  Messen- 
gers, scampering  across  the  landscape  for  the  fun  of  the 
thing,  eating  lavish  meals  at  my  cost,  running  the  legs  off 
my  best  horses,  lodging  luxuriously  in  the  best  bed  at  every 
inn  they  stop  at,  showing  forged  papers,  or  showing  none  at 
all,  using  no  other  means  than  effrontery  and  assurance. 
I'll  have  them  stopped.  I'll  stop  them.  And  I'll  quell,  Pll 
squelch  this  outburst  of  banditry  of  which  we  have  too  much. 
I'll  see  that  my  agents  hunt  down  and  capture  and  execute 
these  highwaymen  who  rob  not  only  rich  travellers,  but 
government  treasure-convoys,  who  even  rob  Imperial  Mes- 
sengers. A  pretty  state  of  affairs  when  my  couriers  are 
fair  game  alike  for  impostors  and  robbers.  I'll  make  the 
slyest  and  the  boldest  quail  at  the  idea  of  interfering  with 
one  of  my  despatch  riders  and  I'll  exterminate  all  highway- 
men. I'll  have  no  one  swaggering  up  and  down  Italy,  now 
in  Liguria,  now  in  Apulia,  mocking  the  law  and  its  guard- 
ians, looting  as  he  pleases,  uncatchable,  untraceable,  hidden 
And  helped  by  mountaineers  and  farm-laborers  and  farmers, 
even  welcomed  secretly  in  villages  and  towns,  acclaimed  as 
King  of  the  Highwaymen,  until  songs  are  made  on  him  and 


114  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

sung  even  in  Rome.  He'll  soon  decorate  a  gibbet,  impaled 
there  and  spiked  there  too.  You'll  see.  And  still  less  will 
I  tolerate  lawlessness  among  men  of  property  and  position. 
The  past  actions  of  you  magnates  I  dislike.  As  to  the  future 
I  may  say  that  my  agents  were  at  your  morning  reception 
yesterday,  Vedius,  and  heard  and  reported  your  covert 
threats  to  Hedulio:  likewise  two  were  at  your  house,  Satro- 
nius,  and  heard  and  reported  your  open  threats. 

"Now  I  perfectly  understand  what  you  two  implied.  You 
threatened  Andivius  with  assassination,  if  he  returned  to  his 
estates  in  Sabinum  or  if  he  so  much  as  remained  in  Eome. 

"Beware!  Be  warned!  Take  care!  I  am  easy-going 
enough,  but  I  am  Caesar  and  I'll  brook  no  trenching  on  my 
personal  prerogatives  or  my  legal  authority.  I  have  the 
tribunician  power  for  life,  I  am  commissioned  thereby  to 
forbid  anything  in  the  Kepublic  and  to  see  to  it  that  no 
magistrate  or  citizen  oversteps  the  limits  of  what  is  per- 
mitted him.  By  your  threats  to  Hedulio  you  practically 
arrogate  to  yourself  the  right  to  exile  a  Roman  of  equestrian 
rank.  Banishment  is  a  governmental  power  and  a  preroga- 
tive of  Caesar.  I'll  have  no  magnates  of  such  overweening 
behavior.  I  am  jealous  of  my  prerogatives,  more  than 
jealous ! 

"I  know  what  you  intend  and  what  you  can  accomplish 
by  your  henchmen.  I  comprehend  that  hundreds  of  stilettos 
are  being  sharpened,  up  there  in  the  Sabine  Hills,  and  down 
here  in  the  slums,  for  a  chance  at  Hedulio. 

"Now  I  can  do  much  by  legal  authority  and  more  by  per- 
sonal prerogative.  Be  quick.  Pass  the  word  swiftly  to  all 
your  satellites,  here  and  in  Sabinum.  Let  them  all  know 
that  if  Andivius  Hedulio  dies  by  poison  or  violence  or  is 
injured  by  any  weapon,  you  two  at  Rome  and  your  brother 
at  Villa  Vedia  and  your  son,  Satro,  at  Villa  Satronia,  will 
not  see  two  more  sunrises.  I  know  how  to  enforce  my  will, 
and  well  you  know  that.  Your  lives  are  in  pawn  for  his, 
let  all  your  clansmen  know  in  good  time. 

"And  more:  if  you  dare,  either  of  you,  to  move  against 
Hedulio  in  any  court  at  Reate  or  elsewhere  in  Sabinum  for 


A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY  115 

his  participation  in  the  brawls  which  you  fomented  and  he 
fell  into,  I  shall  see  to  it  that  not  your  influence  dominates 
any  trial,  but  evenhanded  justice,  jealously  watched  over 
by  my  best  legal  advisers.  You  know  what  that  means  to 
you." 

The  Emperor  spoke  with  a  sustained,  white-hot  fury  and 
it  was  comical  to  watch  Satronius  and  Vedius,  as  I  did  by 
sidelong  glances  when  the  Emperor's  eyes  were  not  on  my 
face. 

When  he  stopped,  both  magnates  bowed  low  and  each  in 
turn  expressed  his  loyal  submissiveness. 

The  Emperor  dismissed  them  with  a  wave  of  his  hand. 
To  me  he  said: 

"That  will  keep  you  alive,  Hedulio  and,  I  trust,  help  you 
to  get  back  into  good  health.  Horrible  bore,  these  small-size 
local  matters ;  worse,  if  anything,  even,  than  the  maintenance 
of  the  Ehine  frontier.  I  loathe  all  this  routine.  But  my 
agents  serve  me  pretty  well.  Besides  putting  me  in  touch 
with  all  this  feud  idiocy  they  have  incidentally  informed 
me  that  you  brought  to  Eome  with  you  a  son  of  Murmex 
Frugi,  also  a  nephew  of  Pacideianus,  and  a  pupil  of  both, 
who  has  come  to  Rome  to  try  his  luck  at  their  former  pro- 
fession. Did  you  bring  him  here  today?  I  hoped  you 
would." 

tfl  did,"  I  answered,  "and  thanks  to  your  orders,  I  was 
able  to  pass  him  in  with  me.  He  is  in  this  hall  now." 

"Fine!"  cried  the  Emperor,  "and  how  about  your  nine 
tenants,  who  stood  by  you  so  well  in  both  fights.  Did  you 
bring  them  too?" 

"I  should  never  have  so  presumed,"  I  stammered,  amazed. 
"It  would  never  have  entered  my  head  to  ask  entry  here  for 
fiuch  simple  rustics.  I  should  have  anticipated  your  wrath 
had  I  so  far  forgot  myself." 

"Eustics,"  said  Commodus,  smiling,  even  grinning,  "who 
<san  fight  as  I  am  told  your  tenants  can  fight  are  always  to 
my  mind.  Bring  them  here  tomorrow,  if  you  like.  Pll  see 
them  in  the  Palaestra.  I'm  going  there  today  after  this 
function  is  finished.  Bring  your  swordsman  there.  You 


116  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

know  the  door.  I  have  given  orders  to  admit  you  in  my 
retinue/' 

In  the  Palaestra  Tanno  cheerfully  presented  Murmex  to 
some  of  his  favorite  prize-fighters  and  he  stood  talking  with 
them,  they  appraisingly  conning  the  son  of  Murmex  Frugi. 

Tanno  and  I  seated  ourselves  well  back  on  the  middle  tier 
of  the  spectators'  benches  and  chatted  until  the  Emperor 
should  have  returned  from  his  dressing-room  and  should 
seem  at  leisure  to  notice  us. 

"You  must  not  be  too  puffed  up  at  your  good  luck  of 
today/'  Tanno  warned  me. 

"In  fact,  I  advise  you  to  be  very  wary  and  to  comport 
yourself  most  modestly.  You  know  Commodus.  It  has  too 
often  happened  that  when  he  has  overwhelmed  a  courtier 
with  favors,  his  very  condescension  seems  to  cause  a  reaction 
in  his  feelings  and  he  becomes  insanely  suspicious.  Respond 
promptly  to  all  his  suggestions,  of  course,  but  do  not  obtrude 
yourself  on  his  notice.  In  particular  ask  no  favor  of  him 
for  a  long  time  to  come." 

I  thanked  him  for  his  advice  and  assured  him  that  I  most 
heartily  agreed  with  his  ideas. 

Presently  a  page  summoned  me,  and  Tanno  came,  too. 

Commodus  had  rid  himself  of  his  official  robes  and  was 
now  clad  only  in  an  athlete's  tunic  and  soft-soled  shoes.  I 
presented  Murmex  and  the  Emperor  questioned  him,  as  to 
his  age,  his  upbringing,  his  father's  years  in  retirement  at 
Nersse,  as  to  Pacideianus  and  put  questions  about  thrusts 
and  parries  designed  to  test  his  knowledge  of  fence. 

Then  he  seated  himself  on  his  throne  on  the  little  dais 
by  the  fencing-floor  and  had  Murmex  called  to  him,  made 
him  stand  by  him,  and  asked  his  opinion  of  several  pairs  of 
fighters  whom  he  had  fence,  one  pair  after  the  other. 

Appearing  pleased  with  the  replies  he  elicited  he  bade 
Murmex  go  with  one  of  the  pages,  rub  down  and  change 
into  fencing  rig.  While  Murmex  was  gone  he  viewed  more 
fencing  by  young  aspirants  matched  against  accredited 
Palace-school  trainers. 

When  Murmex  returned  he  had  him  matched  with  the 


A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY  117 

fcest  of  these  tiros.  But,  almost  at  once,  he  called  to  the 
lanista : 

"Save  that  novice !  Murmex  will  kill  him,  even  with  that 
lath  sword,  if  you  don't  separate  them." 

He  then  had  Murmex  pitted  against  a  succession  of  ex- 
perts, each  better  than  his  predecessor.  Murmex  acquitted 
himself  so  brilliantly  that  Commodus  cried: 

"I  must  try  this  man  myself." 

He  stood  up  and  stepped  down  from  the  dais.  Then  he 
spent  some  time  in  selecting  a  pair  of  cornel-wood  fencing- 
swords  of  equal  length  and  weight  and  of  similar  balance, 
repeatedly  hefting  the  sword  he  had  chosen  and  repeatedly 
asking  Murmex  whether  he  was  satisfied  with  his  sword, 
whether  it  suited  him;  and  similarly  of  the  choice  of  shields. 

When  they  faced  each  other  they  made  as  pretty  a  spec- 
tacle as  I  had  ever  seen:  Murmex  stocky,  so  burly  that  he 
did  not  look  tall,  square-shouldered,  deep-chested,  vast  of 
chest-girth,  huge  in  every  dimension  and  yet  neither  heavy 
nor  slow  in  his  movements;  Commodus  tall,  slender,  sinewy, 
lithe  and  graceful,  quick  in  every  movement  and  amazingly 
handsome. 

They  had  made  but  a  few  passes  when  Commodus  ex- 
claimed : 

"You  show  your  training:  it  is  some  fun  to  fence  with 
you." 

After  not  many  more  thrusts  and  parries  he  called  out: 

"Be  on  your  guard!     Fm  going  to  attack  in  earnest." 

There  followed  a  hot  burst  of  sword-play  and  when  both 
adversaries  were  out  of  breath  and  stepped  back  and  stood 
panting,  Commodus  praised  Murmex  highly. 

"You  have  the  best  guard  I  have  ever  encountered,"  he 
said,  "steady-eyed,  cautious,  wary  yet  quick  too,  and  always 
with  the  threat  of  attack  in  your  defense.  You  are  a  credit 
to  your  training." 

When  they  stepped  forward  again  Commodus  commanded : 

"Attack  now,  attack  your  fiercest  and  show  your  quality. 
I  shall  not  be  angry  if  you  land  on  me,  I  shall  be  pleased. 
Do  your  utmost  I9' 


118  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

After  the  second  bout  he  said: 

"You  are  most  dangerous  in  attack.  At  last  I  have  found 
a  man  really  worth  fencing  with.  You  gave  me  all  I  could 
do  to  protect  myself.  You  are  a  pearl  !"  , 

He  looked  round  at  the  envious  faces  of  more  than  two 
score  seasoned  professionals  and  addressed  the  gathering  at 
large. 

"We  have  here  a  man  who  is  nephew  of  Pacideianus  and 
son  to  Murmex  Frugi,  trained  since  infancy  by  both.  No 
wonder  he  is  a  marvel.  I  have  never  faced  a  swordsman 
who  gave  me  so  much  trouble  to  protect  myself  or  who  held 
off  my  attacks  so  easily  and  completely.  He  is  the  only 
man  alive,  so  far  as  I  know,  really  in  my  class  as  a  fencer." 

As  he  was  eyeing  the  assembly  to  note  their  manner  of 
receiving  this  proclamation  his  expression  changed. 

"Egnatius!"  he  called  sharply.    "Come  here!" 

Egnatius  Capito  came  forward.  Like  Tanno  and  myseif 
he  was  conspicuous  since  he  was  in  his  toga,  most  of  those 
present  being  athletes  and  clad  for  practice. 

"I  did  not  notice  you  among  your  fellow  senators  at  my 
levee,"  said  the  Emperor. 

"I  was  not  there,"  Egnatius  admitted.  "I  had  a  press  of 
clients  at  my  own  levee  this  morning  and  reached  the  Palace 
just  in  time  to  hear  what  you  had  to  say  to  Vedius  and 
Satronius.  I  tried  to  catch  your  eye  as  you  passed  out,  but 
you  did  not  notice  me  at  all." 

"I  had  rather  see  you  here  than  in  the  throne-room/* 
Commodus  said.  "I  am  told  that  you  have  let  your  tongue 
run  entirely  too  wild  in  talking  of  me  lately.  If  I  had  not 
been  also  told  that  you  had  had  too  much  wine  I  should 
animadvert  on  your  effrontery  officially.  As  it  is  I  prefer  to 
prove  you  wrong  before  these  experts  and  gentlemen." 

"Of  what  have  I  been  accused?"  Capito  queried,  steadily. 

"There  has  been  no  accusation,"  Commodus  disclaimed. 
"But  I  have  been  told  that,  at  more  than  one  dinner,  you 
have  been  fool  enough  to  say  that  I  am  only  a  sham  swords- 
man, that  I  take  a  steel  sword  and  face  an  adversary  whose 


A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY  119 

sword  has  a  blade  of  lead :  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  no  one 
scores  off  me,  and  that  I  run  up  big  scores  in  all  my  bouts/' 

"If  I  ever  said  anything  like  that,"  spoke  Capito  boldly, 
"I  was  so  drunk  that  I  have  no  recollection  of  having  said 
it.  And  I  am  a  sober  man  and  a  light  drinker.  Also  I 
have  never  harbored  such  thoughts  unless  too  drunk  to  know 
what  I  thought  or  said." 

"You  are  cold  sober  now,  aren't  you?"  Commodus  queried. 

"Entirely  sober,"  Egnatius  agreed. 

" And  you  are  a  fencer  far  above  the  average  P'  he  pursued. 

"I  have  been  told  I  have  no  mean  skill,"  said  Capito  mod- 
estly. 

"Such  being  the  case,"  said  Commodus,  "you  and  I  shall 
fence.  Go  with  the  attendants  and  change  into  fencing  kit. 
You'll  find  all  styles  and  sizes  of  everything  needed  in  the 
dressing-rooms.  First  pick  out  a  pair  of  cornel-wood  swords, 
entirely  to  your  mind." 

When  Capito  had  selected  a  pair  of  swords  which  suited 
both  him  and  the  Emperor,  he  went  off  to  change.  While 
he  was  gone  Commodus  had  the  armorer  drill  a  tiny  hole 
near  the  point  of  one  sword  and  insert  in  it  one  of  those 
thorn-like  little  steel  points  which  are  commonly  used  on 
the  ends  of  donkey-goads. 

When  Capito  returned  he  showed  him  the  two  swords. 
Capito  looked  up  at  him  questioningly  and  amazedly. 

"The  idea  is  this,"  Commodus  explained.  "I  mean  to 
demonstrate  my  perfect  ability  to  defend  myself,  as  well 
as  my  dangerousness  in  attack.  You  are  to  use  the  sword 
with  the  goad  point  set  in  it;  so  that,  if  you  succeed  in 
hitting  me,  you  will  tear  a  long  slash  in  my  hide;  for  I  am 
going  to  fence  with  you  in  my  skin  only,  stark,  mother-naked 
as  I  was  born.  I  shall  use  the  unaltered  sword  and  you 
will  have  on  your  fencing-tunic,  so  that  if  I  hit  you,  it  won't 
hurt  you  nearly  as  much  as  a  hit  from  you  will  hurt  me. 

"If  you  draw  blood  from  me,  Fll  pay  you  one  hundred 
thousand  sesterces :  if  I  fail  to  lay  you  out  on  the  pavement, 
totally  insensible,  in  three  bouts,  I'll  pay  you  two  hundred 


120  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

thousand  sesterces.  You  can  pick  any  Imdsta  here  to  judge 
the  fight  and  tell  us  when  to  separate  and  rest." 

Capito,  cool  enough,  indicated  Murmex  as  referee. 

"He's  not  a  laruista"  Commodus  objected. 

'He's  Frugi's  pupil/'  Capito  maintained,  "and  therefore 
the  best  lanista  here/' 

"I  agree,"  said  Commodus,  and  he  called : 

"Who's  the  physician  on  duty?" 

When  the  official  came  forward  he  said  truculently: 

"Get  your  plasters  ready  and  your  revivers.  You'll  have 
to  attend  a  man  flat  on  the  pavement,  insensible  and  with  a 
bad  scalp  wound,  before  much  time  has  passed." 

And  actually,  though  Capito  fenced  well,  he  was  no  match 
for  Commodus. 

The  bout  was  worth  watching.  The  adversaries  were  just 
the  same  height  and  differed  little  in  weight.  Capito  seemed 
more  compact  and  steady;  Commodus  more  lithe  and  agile. 
Capito  was  a  handsome  man  and  made  a  fine  figure  in  his 
scanty,  leek-green  fencing  tunic.  Commodus,  always  vain 
of  his  good  looks,  delighted  in  exhibiting  himself  totally  nude, 
not  only  because  he  loved  to  shock  elderly  noblemen  imbued 
with  old-fashioned  ideas  of  propriety,  but  also  because  he 
rightly  thought  himself  one  of  the  best  formed  men  alive. 
He  was  fond  of  being  told  that  he  was  like  Hercules  but, 
except  in  the  paintings  of  Zeuxis,  Hercules  has  always  been 
depicted  as  brawnier  and  more  mature  than  Commodus  was 
then  or  ever  became,  to  his  last  hour.  To  me  he  suggested 
Mercury,  especially  as  he  appears  in  the  paintings  of  Polyg- 
notus,  or  Apollo,  as  Apelles  depicted  him. 

Besides  the  grace  and  good  looks  of  the  two,  they  fenced 
very  well,  Capito  correctly  and  with  good  judgment,  Com- 
modus with  amazing  dash  and  originality. 

Capito,  though  bold,  was  wholly  unable  to  touch  Com- 
modus, while  Commodus  slashed  him,  even  through  his  tunic, 
till  his  blood  ran  from  a  dozen  scratches.  Before  the  second 
bout  was  well  joined  Capito  was  felled  by  a  blow  on  the  head, 
•which  laid  him  flat  and  insensible,  bleeding  from  a  terrible 
scalp  wound. 


A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY 

After  Capito  had  been  carried  off  by  the  attendants,  the 
Emperor,  wrapped  in  an  athlete's  blanket,  talked  a  while 
to  Murmex  and  then  went  off  to  bathe,  for  he  bathed  many 
times  a  day. 

Set  free,  I  went  out  and  was  helped  into  my  litter.  The 
two  dogs  were  still  by  it,  took  their  places  under  it  as  if 
they  had  belonged  to  me  since  puppyhood  and  tinder  it 
trotted  as  I  returned  home.  Once  home  I  ate  the  lunch  per- 
mitted me  and  had  an  hour's  sound,  dreamless  sleep. 

I  woke  feeling  so  well  that  I  sent  for  Agathemer,  bade  him 
have  my  litter  ready  and  told  him  I  was  going  to  the  Baths 
of  Titus. 

Inevitably  Agathemer  protested  that  I  was  not  well  enough ; 
naturally  I  insisted  and,  of  course,  I  had  my  way. 

As  with  court  levees,  I  have  never  been  able  to  take  as 
a  matter  of  course  without  wonder  and  admiration,  the 
marvellous  spectacle  afforded  by  an  assemblage  of  our  no- 
bility and  gentry  gathered  for  their  afternoon  bath  in  any 
of  our  splendid  Thermae.  Of  these  I  hold  the  Baths  of  Titus 
not  only  the  most  magnificent,  which  is  conceded  by  every- 
body, but  also  I  hold  them  the  most  impressive  mass  of 
buildings  in  Rome,  both  outside  and  inside,  and  surpassing 
in  every  respect  every  other  great  public  building  in  the 
city.  Most  connoisseurs  appraise  the  Temple  of  Venus  and 
Rome  as  our  capitaFs  most  splendid  structure,  but  I  could 
never  bring  myself  to  admit  it  superior  to  or  even  equal 
to  the  Baths  of  Titus.  To  enter  this  surpassing  building, 
always  congratulating  myself  on  my  right  to  enter  the  baths 
and  use  them;  to  be  one  of  the  courtly  throng  of  fashion- 
able notables  resorting  to  them:  I  could  never  take  these 
things  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Nor  could  I  ever  take  as  a  matter  of  course  the  sight  of 
the  bulk  of  Rome's  nobility,  gentlemen  and  ladies  together, 
thronging  the  great  pools  and  halls  or  roaming  about  the 
corridors,  passage-ways  or  galleries,  all  totally  nude. 

Social  convention  is  an  amazing  factor  in  human  life. 
One  may  say  that  anything  fashionable  is  accepted  and  that 
anything  unfashionable  is  banned.  But  that  does  not  help 


122  ANBIVIUS  HEDULIO 

one  to  explain  to  one's  self  the  oddity  of  some  social  con- 
ventions. 

Oddest  of  all  our  Roman  social  conventions  is  the  con- 
trast between  the  insistence  on  complete  concealment  of  the 
human  figure  everywhere  else  and  the  universal  acceptance 
of  its  display  at  the  ThermaB. 

At  home,  if  receiving  guests,  on  the  streets,  at  a  formal 
dinner,  at  Palace  levees,  at  the  Circus  games  or  in  the 
Amphitheatre,  a  man  must  be  wrapped  up  in  his  toga.  Any 
exposure  of  too  much  of  the  left  arm,  of  either  ankle,  is 
hooted  at  as  bad  form,  is  decried  as  indecent. 

So  of  our  ladies,  on  dinner  sofas,  on  their  reclining  chairs 
in  their  reception  rooms,  in  their  homes,  in  their  litters 
abroad,  at  the  Amphitheatre  or  at  the  Circus  games,  from 
neck  to  instep  they  are  muffled  up.  If  one  catches  a  glimpse 
of  a  beauty's  ankle  as  she  goes  up  a  stair,  one  is  thrilled,  one 
watches  eagerly,  one  cranes  to  look. 

Yet  one  encounters  the  same  beauty  the  same  afternoon 
in  a  corridor  of  the  Baths  of  Titus,  with  nothing  on  but  a 
net  over  her  elaborate  coiffure  and  the  bracelet  with  the  key 
and  number  of  the  locker  in  which  the  attendant  has  put 
away  her  clothing  and  valuables  and  one  not  only  cannot 
stare  at  her,  one  cannot  look  at  her,  not  even  if  she  accosts 
one  and  lingers  for  a  chat. 

I  have  pondered  over  this,  the  most  singular  of  our  social 
conventions,  and  the  most  mandatory  and  inescapable;  and 
the  more  I  ponder  the  more  singular  it  seems. 

Yet  it  is  real,  it  is  a  fact.  One  meets  the  wives  of  all 
one's  friends,  the  wives  of  all  Rome's  nobility,  naked  as  they 
were  born ;  they  mingle  with  the  men  in  the  swimming  pools, 
in  the  ante-rooms,  in  the  rest-rooms,  everywhere  except  in 
the  shower-bath  cabinets  and  the  rubbing-down  rooms;  one 
swims  with  them,  lounges  with  them,  joins  groups  of  chatting 
gentlemen  and  ladies,  chats,  goes  off,  and  all  the  while  one 
cannot,  one  simply  cannot  stare  at  a  nude  woman,  any  more 
than  any  of  the  women  ever  stares  at  any  man. 

It  is  a  social  convention.  But  not  the  less  amazing, 
although  a  fact. 


A  RATHER  GOOD  DAY 

One  not  only  cannot  scrutinize  a  woman,  one  cannot  scru- 
tinize a  group  of  women,  even  at  a  distance,  even  all  the 
way  across  a  swimming  pool.  So,  hoping  to  encounter 
Vedia  in  the  gathering,  I  yet  could  not  look  for  her. 

I  had  met  and  talked  with  many  of  my  acquaintances, 
notably  Marcus  Martius  and  his  bride  Marcia. 

Marcia,  rosy  as  the  inside  of  a  sea-shell,  with  her  gold 
hair  confined  by  a  net  of  gold  wire,  was  a  bewitching  crea- 
ture, if  I  had  been  able  to  let  my  eyes  dwell  on  her. 

She  was  as  contained  and  slow  spoken  and  soft-voiced 
as  always,  but  she  was,  for  her,  notably  complimentary  as 
to  my  share  in  the  two  fights ;  thanked  me  warmly  for  defend- 
ing her,  declared  that  she  would  certainly  have  been  carried 
off,  either  as  Xantha  or  Greia,  or  as  a  hostage  for  one  or 
the  other,  if  I  had  not  fought  "like  both  the  Dioscuri  at  once," 
as  she  phrased  it. 

Martius  corroborated  her  opinion  of  my  services  to  them 
and  thanked  me  warmly. 

Delayed  by  chats  with  friends  and  acquaintances,  held 
up  by  distant  acquaintances  and  even  by  persons  hardly 
known  to  me  by  sight,  who  congratulated  me  on  the  Em- 
peror's public  championing  of  me  against  my  powerful  Sabine 
neighbors,  I  felt  my  strength  ebbing  and  sometimes  saw  a 
gray  blur  between  my  eyes  and  what  I  looked  at. 

I  was,  in  fact,  so  weak  that  I  nearly  fainted  when,  unseen 
in  the  swarm  of  bathers  until  he  was  close  to  me,  I  encount- 
ered Talponius  Pulto,  tall,  handsome,  disdainful,  sneering 
and  malignant  as  usual.  From  his  proximity  I  escaped  as 
unobtrusively  as  I  could  and  as  promptly. 

The  cold  douche  and  a  swim  in  the  cold  pool  had  revived 
me.  Also,  in  the  cold  pool  I  had  encountered  Nemestronia, 
still  personable  enough  at  eighty-odd  to  mingle  daily  with 
her  social  world,  as  nude  as  they,  and  enjoy  herself  thor- 
oughly. Yet,  at  her  age,  she  knew  she  looked  better  when 
under  water,  and  spent  most  of  her  time  in  the  pools.  She 
and  I  did  some  fancy  swimming  together,  while  she  ques- 
tioned me  about  my  health. 

I  did  not  spend  any  more  time  than  I  could  help  between 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  cold  pool  and  the  tepid  pool;  no  more  at  least  than 
importunate  acquaintances  exacted  of  me. 

In  the  tepid  pool  I  felt,  somehow,  weaker  and  more  relaxed 
than  at  any  time  since  I  had  gone  out  the  previous  morning. 
The  effect  of  the  Emperor's  favor,  the  effect  of  the  cold 
plunge,  were  wearing  off:  mind  and  body  were  losing  tone. 
I  swam  languidly,  alone,  on  my  back  and  so  swimming  found 
myself  about  one  third  of  the  way  from  the  upper  end  of 
the  pool  and  about  midway  of  its  width.  I  was  staring  up 
at  the  panels  of  the  vaulting,  relishing  the  beauty  of  the 
color  scheme,  the  gold  rosettes  brilliant  against  the  deep 
blue  of  the  soffits,  set  off  by  the  red  of  the  coffering. 

So  swimming  and  staring  my  eyes  roamed  downward  to 
the  great  round-headed  coved  window  above  the  gallery.  The 
railing  of  the  gallery  had  a  sort  of  wicket  in  it,  by  which 
bathers  could  emerge  one  by  one  on  to  the  bracket-like  plat- 
form which  overhung  the  pool  at  that  end,  for  use  as  a 
take-off  for  a  high  dive. 

Suddenly,  on  this  diving-stand,  poised  for  her  dive,  out- 
lined against  the  window  behind  her,  I  recognized  Vedia; 
Vedia,  my  angered  sweetheart,  rosy  as  Marcia,  more  lovely, 
and  nude  as  Venus  rising  from  the  sea. 

Seeing  her  thus,  and  seeing  her  thus  unexpectedly,  woke 
in  me  a  volcanic  outburst  of  conflicting  emotions  altogether 
too  much  for  my  weakened  condition. 

I  fainted. 

When  I  came  to  I  felt  weak  and  queer  and  did  not  at  first 
open  my  eyes.  I  heard  subdued  voices  all  about  me,  as  of 
an  interested  crowd;  I  felt  all  wet,  I  felt  the  cold  of  a  wet 
mosaic  pavement  under  me,  but  my  head  and  shoulders 
were  pillowed  on  a  support  wet  indeed,  as  I  was,  but  soft 
and  warm. 

I  opened  my  eyes. 

I  realized  that  my  head  was  in  Vedia's  lap,  for  I  saw 
above  me  her  dripping  breasts  and,  higher,  her  anxious  face 
looking  down  at  mine. 

I  fainted  again. 


THE  WATER-GARDEN 

CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   WATER-GJLKDKN" 

JUST  how  long  I  was  entirely  unconscious  I  do  not  know. 
For  after  I  began  to  come  to  myself  at  intervals  which, 
grew  shorter,  for  periods  which  grew  longer,  I  was  too  weak 
to  move  a  muscle  or  to  utter  a  syllable.  I  lay,  flaccid,  in 
my  big,  deep,  soft  bed,  very  dimly  aware  of  Occo  or  of 
Agathemer  hovering  about  me,  generally  recalled  to  con- 
sciousness by  an  eggspoonful  of  hot  spiced  wine  being  forced 
through  my  slow-opening  lips  and  teeth. 

How  many  times  I  was  sufficiently  conscious  to  know  that 
I  was  being  fed,  but  too  ill  for  any  thoughts  whatever,  I 
cannot  conjecture.  When  I  began  to  have  mental  feelings 
the  first  was  one  of  dazed  confusion  of  mind,  of  groping  to 
recollect  where  I  was  and  why  and  what  had  last  happened 
to  me. 

When  I  recalled  my  last  waking  experience  I  lay  bathed 
in  sleepy  contentment.  I  could  think  connectedly  enough 
to  reason  out,  or  my  unthinking  intuitions  presented  to  me 
without  my  thinking,  the  conviction  that,  if  Yedia  could 
recognize  me  in  a  big  pool  among  scores  of  swimmers,  if  her 
perceptions  in  regard  to  me  were  acute  enough  and  quick 
enough  for  her  and  her  alone  to  notice  that  I  had  fainted 
in  the  water,  if  she  cared  enough  for  me  and  was  sufficiently 
indifferent  to  what  society  might  say  of  her,  for  her  to  rescue 
me  and  sit  down  on  the  pavement  of  the  tepddarium  and 
pillow  my  wet  head  on  her  wet  thighs  till  I  showed  signs 
of  life,  I  need  not  worry  about  whether  Vedia  cared  for  me 
or  not.  I  was  permeated  with  the  conviction  that,  however 
difficult  it  might  be  to  get  her  to  acknowledge  it,  however 
great  or  many  might  be  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  my  marry- 
ing her,  Vedia  loved  me  almost  as  consumedly  as  I  loved  her. 

In  this  frame  of  mind  I  convalesced  steadily,  if  slowly, 
incurious  of  the  flight  of  time,  of  news,  of  anything;  content 


126  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

to  get  well  whenever  it  should  please  the  gods  and  confident 
that  happiness,  even  if  long  deferred,  was  certain  to  follow 
my  recovery. 

After  I  could  talk  to  Occo  and  Agathemer  and  seemed  to 
want  to  ask  questions,  which  both  of  them  discouraged,  one 
morning,  on  wakening  for  the  second  time,  after  a  minute 
allowance  of  nourishment  and  a  refreshing  nap,  I  found 
Galen  by  my  bedside. 

He  looked  me  over  and  asked  questions,  as  physicians  in- 
variably do,  concerning  my  bodily  sensations.  After  he 
seemed  satisfied  he  asked: 

"My  son,  were  you  ever  ill  before  you  were  hit  on  the 
head  in  your  recent  affrays?" 

"Never  that  I  remember,"  I  answered. 

"I  judge  so/'  he  said.  "If  you  had  not  been  blessed  with 
the  very  best  physique  and  constitution  you  would  have  died 
in  your  friend's  litter  on  the  Salarian  Highway.  Thanks 
to  your  general  strength  and  healthiness,  and  thanks,  to 
some  extent,  to  my  care  and  that  of  my  colleagues,  you  are 
alive  and  on  the  way  to  complete,  permanent  recovery  and 
to  long  life  with  good  health.  But  you  very  nearly  com- 
mitted suicide  when  you  went  out  and  about  contrary  to  my 
orders.  I  say  all  this  solemnly,  for  I  want  you  to  remember 
it.  If  you  disobey  again,  you  will,  most  likely,  be  soon 
buried.  If  you  obey  you  have  every  chance  of  getting  so 
well  that  you  can  safely  forget  that  you  ever  were  ill. 

"But,  until  I  tell  you  that  you  are  well,  do  not  forget 
that  you  are  ill." 

"I  shall  remember/'  I  said,  "and  I  shall  be  scrupulously 
obedient." 

"Good !"  he  ejaculated.  "I  infer  that  you  find  life  worth 
living." 

"Very  well  worth  living,"  I  rejoined  devoutly. 

"Then  listen  to  me,"  he  said.  "You  must  remain  abed 
until  I  tell  you  to  get  up;  when  you  first  get  up,  it  must  be 
for  only  an  hour  or  so.  You  must  not  attempt  to  go  out 
until  I  give  you  permission.  You  must  not  risk  eating  such 


THE  WATER-GARDEN 

meals  as  you  are  used  to.  You  must  take  small  amounts  of 
specified  foods  at  stated  intervals.  Agathemer  will  see  to 
all  that,  with  Occo  to  help  him.  Do  you  promise  to 
acquiesce  ?" 

"I  promise,"  I  said. 

"Remember,"  he  cautioned  me,  "that  the  number,  variety 
and  severity  of  the  blows  rained  on  you  in  your  two  fights 
were  so  great  that  you  were  almost  beaten  to  death.  You 
had  no  bones  broken,  but  the  injury  to  your  muscles  and 
ligaments  was  sufficient  to  kill  a  man  only  ordinarily  strong, 
whila  the  blows  affecting  your  kidneys,  liver  and  other  injter- 
nal  organs  were  in  themselves,  without  the  bruising  of  all 
your  surface,  enough  to  cause  death.  I  had  you  convalescing 
promptly  and  rapidly;  you  went  out  and  overstrained  all 
your  vitalities.  Your  recklessness  almost  ended  you.  You 
were  far  nearer  death  in  your  relapse  than  at  first,  and  that 
is  saying  a  great  deal.  If  you  obey  me  you  will  certainly 
recover.  If  you  disobey  you  will  probably  kill  yourself." 

"I  shall  take  all  that  to  heart/'  I  said.  "I  have  promised 
to  be  docile:  I'll  keep  my  word  and  obey  my  slaves  as  if 
every  day  were  the  Saturnalia." 

"Good !"  he  exclaimed.     "You  are  getting  better." 

He  looked  me  over  again  and  asked: 

"Is  there  anything  you  want?" 

"I  want  to  see  Tanno,"  I  said. 

"You  shall  the  day  after  tomorrow,"  he  promised,  "or 
perhaps  tomorrow,  if  I  find  you  improving  faster  than  I 
anticipate." 

Actually,  after  a  brief  visit  from  him  the  next  day,  Tanno 
was  ushered  into  my  sick-room. 

My  first  question  was  about  my  tenants.  Not  one  such 
tenant-farmer  in  a  million  would  ever  have  a  chance  of 
being  personally  presented  to  Caesar.  They  had  been  awe- 
struck when  I  told  them  of  their  amazing  good  fortune. 
They  had  said  almost  nothing.  But  I  knew  that  they  were, 
all  nine  of  them,  as  nearly  rapt  into  ecstasy  as  Sabine  farmers 
could  be  at  the  prospect  of  personally  saluting  Caesar  in  his 


128  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Palace,  in  his  Audience  Hall  on  his  throne.  I  had  been  too 
inert  to  worry  about  anything,  but  I  almost  worried  at  the 
thought  of  their  disappointment,  through  my  relapse. 

Tanno  told  me  that  he,  knowing  the  Emperor's  character 
pretty  well,  had  taken  it  upon  himself  to  have  them  passed 
in  with  him  as  the  Emperor  had  ordered,  and  had  himself 
asked  permission  to  present  them  and  had  presented  them. 
The  next  day,  he  said,  everyone  of  them  had  returned  home. 

I  heaved  a  deep  sigh  of  relief :  my  tenants  and  my  Sabine 
Estate  were  off  my  mind;  I  might  be  entirely  easy  about  all 
things  in  Sabinum. 

He  then  told  me  what  a  brilliant  success  Marcia  was  among 
the  pleasure-loving,  novelty-loving,  luxurious  high-living  set 
in  our  city  society. 

"Since  the  enforcement  of  the  old-fashioned  laws  relaxed 
and  became  a  dead  letter  and  some  were  even  repealed,"  he 
said,  "not  a  few  men  of  equestrian  rank  have  married  freed- 
women  and  such  occurrences  no  longer  cause  any  scandal  or 
much  remark.  But  the  results  are  not  generally  productive 
of  any  social  success  for  the  ill-assorted  pair. 

"I  have  known  a  few  freedwomen  married  to  men  of  wealth 
and  equestrian  rank,  who  gained  some  vague  approximation 
of  social  standing  among  the  wives  of  their  husbands'  friends. 
But  Marcia  is  the  first  freedwoman  I  ever  knew  or  heard  of 
to  be  treated,  by  everybody  and  at  once,  as  if  she  had  been 
freeborn  and  since  birth  in  her  husband's  class.  Martius 
has  not  brought  this  about,  or  aided  much;  he  is  a  good 
enough  fellow,  but  he  has  no  social  qualities;  for  all  the 
power  he  has  of  attracting  friends  he  might  as  well  be  an 
archaic  statue.  Marcia  has  done  it  all.  She's  a  wonder." 

Then  he  told  me  of  Murmex:  how  he  was  already  rated 
Home's  champion  swordsman;  how  the  Palace  Palaestra  was 
jammed  with  notables  eager  to  see  him  fence,  how  magnates 
competed  for  invitations  to  such  exhibitions,  how  Murmex 
was  overwhelmed  with  attentions  of  all  kinds  from  all  sorts 
of  people,  had  had  a  furnished  apartment  put  at  his  disposal 
fcy  one  admirer,  a  litter  and  bearers  presented  him  by  another, 


THE  WATER-GARDEN 

already  saw  his  domicile  crowded  with  presents  of  statuary, 
paintings,  furniture,  flowers  and  all  possible  gifts,  how  he 
was  an  immediate  and  brilliant  success  with  all  classes,  even 
the  populace  talking  of  him,  crowding  behind  his  litter, 
and  demanding  him  for  the  next  public  exhibition  of  gladi- 
ators. 

That  such  luck  had  befallen  a  man  whom  I  had  presented 
to  Court  augured  well  for  me,  indubitably. 

After  I  had  been  out  of  bed  an  hour  or  more  for  several 
consecutive  days  Galen  said  to  me: 

"You  are  almost  well  enough  to  be  about,  but  not  quite. 
If  you  go  back  to  your  habitual  hours  of  sleep  you  will  fret 
and  fidget  indoors,  and  you  are  not  yet  sufficiently  recovered 
to  resume  your  normal  life.  You  need  fresh  air.  I  have 
considered  what  is  best  and  what  is  possible.  I  have  talked 
with  your  friend  Opsitius.  Through  him  I  have  arranged 
for  you  to  have  short  outings  in  this  manner.  On  fair  days 
if  you  feel  like  going  out  you  may  call  for  your  litter.  In 
it  you  must  keep  the  panels  closed  and  the  curtains  drawn. 
Agathemer  will  give  your  bearers  directions.  Nemestronia 
has  offered  you  the  use  of  her  lower  garden.  You  are  to 
have  it  all  to  yourself,  whenever  you  want  it,  as  long  as  my 
directions  to  Agathemer  permit  you  to  remain  in  it;  and 
you  need  not  remain  a  moment  unless  you  enjoy  being 
there." 

I  understood  without  asking  any  questions.  Nemestronia's 
palace  was  one  of  the  most  desirable,  magnificent  and  spa- 
cious abodes  in  Eome.  Her  father,  who  had  been  accustomed 
to  say  that  he  was  too  great  a  man  to  have  to  live  in  a 
fashionable  neighborhood,  that  any  neighborhood  in  which 
he  settled  would  thereby  become  fashionable,  had  bought  a 
very  generous  plot  of  land  nearly  on  the  crest  of  the  Viminal 
Hill  and  had  there  built  himself  a  dwelling  which  w&s  at 
once  noted  among  the  dozen  finest  private  dwellings  in  the 
Eternal  City.  In  one  respect  it  was  preeminent.  From  its 
lofty  position  it  had,  down  the  slope  of  the  hill,  a  wide  view 
over  the  city  and  this  view  was  unobstructed,  for  below  his 


ISO  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

palace  Nemestronius  had  had  laid  out  six  separate  gardens, 
two  large  and  four  small.  Next  the  house  the  ground  fell 
away  so  sharply  that  he  had  been  able  to  create  a  terraced 
garden,  the  only  private  terraced  garden  in  Eome,  extending 
across  the  entire  rear  of  his  palace  and  with  three  terraces, 
from  the  uppermost  of  which  the  view  was  almost  as  good 
as  from  the  tipper  windows  of  the  mansion.  Below  this, 
each  extending  along  but  half  the  length  of  the  terraces, 
was  a  grass-garden,  where  it  was  possible  to  play  ball-games, 
it  being  a  mere  expanse  of  sward  shut  in  by  high  walls  cov- 
ered with  flowering  vines;  and  a  formal  garden,  in  the 
fashionable  style.  Below  the  grass-garden  was  one  of  similar 
size,  all  flower-beds,  to  supply  roses,  lilies,  violets  and  other 
staple  blossoms  for  his  banqueting-hall,  below  the  formal 
garden  was  one  called  the  wild-garden  or  shrubbery-garden, 
like  the  grass-garden  in  being  covered  with  sward  almost 
from  wall  to  wall,  but  unlike  it,  in  that  it  had  four  shade 
trees,  no  two  alike,  and  many  flowering  shrubs  of  all  kinds 
and  sizes.  Lastly  below  these  two  was  the  water-garden,  the 
same  size  as  the  terraced  garden,  taken  up  with  fountains 
and  pools,  and  all  gay  in  season,  with  the  flowers  which  thrive 
in  or  beside  ponds  and  pools.  It  had  also  eight  beautiful 
lotus  trees. 

High  walls,  through  which  one  might  pass  from  one  to 
the  other  only  by  gates  generally  shut  fast,  separated  and 
enclosed  these  gardens,  for  their  creator's  intention  was  to 
enjoy  the  peculiar  charm  of  each  undistracted  by  the  con- 
trasting charms  of  the  others.  From  the  upper  gardens  it 
was  possible  to  see,  to  some  extent,  into  those  lower  down 
the  hill;  but,  from  the  lower,  one  could  see  nothing  of  those 
above. 

One  side  of  the  property  was  flanked  by  a  street,  a  mere 
narrow,  walled  lane  on  which  no  dwelling  opened.  Along 
this  were  posterns  in  the  wall,  giving  access  to  or  exit  from 
the  terrace-garden,  the  formal-garden,  the  wild-garden  and 
the  water-garden. 

I  understood  at  once  what  I  later  heard  from  Agathemer. 
iThe  water-garden  was  to  be  mine  for  my  airings.  I  was  to 


THE  WATER-GARDEN  131 

leave  my  litter  at  its  postern  in  the  unfrequented  lane  and 
reenter  my  litter  there. 

There  I  went  next  day  and  revelled  in  the  beauty  of  the 
garden,  in  the  sunshine,  in  the  breeze  and  in  the  sensations 
of  returning  health  and  strength  which  inundated  me.  There 
I  went  for  some  days  in  succession  similarly. 

On  the  eighth  day  before  the  Kalends  of  August  Galen 
came  to  see  me,  not  early  in  the  morning,  but  about  the 
bath-hour  of  the  afternoon.  He  seemed  well  pleased  with 
his  inspection  of  me  and  with  my  answers  to  his  questions. 

"You  are  practically  well,"  he  said,  "and  much  sooner 
than  I  anticipated.  I  am  tempted  to  tell  you  to  return  to 
your  normal  routine  of  meals,  eating  what  you  please;  and 
to  give  you  permission  to  resume  your  usual  social  activities 
But  I  think  it  better,  in  a  case  like  yours,  to  wait  a  month 
too  long  rather  than  to  be  a  day  too  soon.  So  I  shall  enjoin 
an  adherence  to  your  diet  and  a  continuance  of  your  long 
rest  hours  and  brief  outings  for  some  days  yet." 

He  had  me  summon  Agathemer  and  repeated  to  him  much 
of  what  he  had  said  to  me. 

"He  might  go  out  at  once,"  he  said,  <fbut  we  had  best  be 
cautious.  Limit  him  to  morning  outings  in  Nemestronia's 
gardens.  He  may,  however,  see  friends,  one  at  a  time,  accord- 
ing to  his  wishes  and  your  directions.  And  be  particular  as 
to  his  diet.  Give  him  more  of  each  viand  at  each  feeding. 
Feed  him  as  soon  as  he  wakes.  Then  time  the  feedings  two 
hours  apart.  Are  your  clepsydras*  good?" 

"Of  the  best,"  I  interjected.  "My  uncle  was  a  fancier 
of  time-keepers  and  had  one  in  every  room,  and  no  two 
alike  in  ornamentation,  all  beautifully  decorated." 

"The  ornamentation  doesn't  matter,"  said  Galen,  impa- 
tiently. "Do  they  keep  time  with  anything  approaching 
accuracy?" 

"As  near  accuracy,"  I  said,  "as  any  clepsydras  ever  made." 

"Well,"  he  said,  ((clepsydras  always  work  better  when 
nearly  full  than  when  nearly  empty.  When  you  feed  him 
have  a  full  clepsydra  handy  and  start  it  when  he  begins  to 

*  Water-clocks. 


132  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

eat.  Then  by  it  feed  him  again  after  two  hours.  Keep  to 
that  interval  and  to  the  diet  I  have  enjoined." 

Next  day  I  spent  over  three  hours  in  Nemestronia's  water- 
garden,  Tanno  with  me  for  most  of  the  time.  Twice,  during 
the  chat,  Agathemer  brought  me  a  tray  with  the  drink  and 
food  enjoined  for  that  hour  of  the  day.  Each  time  I  left 
not  a  drop  or  crumb :  I  was  ravenous. 

The  following  morning  Agathemer  let  in  to  me,  in  that 
same  garden,  Murmex  Lucro,  who  thanked  me  for  my  good 
offices  with  Commodus  and  narrated  his  triumphal  progress 
of  professional  and  social  success  ever  since  I  had  seen  him 
fence  with  the  Emperor. 

Agathemer  did  not  permit  Murmex  to  linger  long,  saying 
that  it  was  against  Galen's  orders.  After  I  was  alone  and 
had  eaten  what  he  brought  I  basked  and  idled  happily,  think- 
ing of  Vedia,  entirely  unruffled  by  the  fact  that  I  had  had 
no  missive  or  message  from  her,  considering  her  silence  merely 
discreet  and  judicious  after  her  spectacular  rescue  of  me  in 
the  Tepidarium,  and  confident  of  seeing  her  as  soon  as  I 
was  entirely  well. 

While  I  was  in  this  mood  my  hostess  came  to  chat  with 
me.  "  Nemestronia,  at  eighty-odd,  was  as  dainty  and  charm- 
ing an  old  lady  as  the  sun  ever  shone  on.  And  as  lovable  as 
any  woman  alive.  I  loved  her  dearly,  as  all  Eome  loved  her 
dearly,  and  I  ranked  myself  high  among  her  countless  hono- 
rary grandsons,  for  her  motherly  ways  made  her  seem  an 
honorary  grandmother  to  all  young  noblemen  whom  she 
favored. 

After  a  heart-warming  chat  she  said : 

"I  must  go  now,  by  Galen's  orders.  Before  I  go  I  want 
to  ask  you  whether  you  are  coming  here  tomorrow  ?" 

"Certainly!"  I  cried,  looking  about  me  with  delight. 
"Could  there,  can  there,  be  in  Eome  a  more  Elysian  spot  in 
which  to  feel  health  being  restored  to  one?" 

She  beamed  at  me. 

"Be  sure  to  be  here/'  she  said.  "You  will  not  regret 
coming." 

Between  naps  that  afternoon  and  before  I  slept  that  night 


THE  WATER-GARDEN  133 

I  soothed  myself  with  the  hope  that  I  was,  hy  Nemestronia's 
influence,,  to  have  an  interview  with  Vedia. 

Next  morning  the  weather  was  beautiful,  the  sky  clear, 
the  air  neither  too  cool  nor  too  warm,  the  breeze  soft  and 
steady.  Nemestronia's  water-garden  appeared  to  me  even 
more  delightful  than  the  day  before.  I  admired  the  lotus 
trees,  the  water-lily  pads  in  the  pools,  the  jets  of  the  foun- 
tains, the  bright  strips  of  flowers  along  the  pools,  particularly 
some  water-flags  or  some  flowers  resembling  water-flags. 

I  was  idling  in  the  sun  on  a  cushion  which  Agathemer 
had  arranged  for  me  on  a  marble  seat  against  the  upper 
wall,  nearly  midway  of  the  garden,  but  in  sight  of  the  postern 
gate  by  which  I  had  entered.  So  idling  and  dreaming  day 
dreams  I  let  my  eyes  rove  languidly  about  the  scene  before 
me.  While  meditating  and  staring  at  the  pavement  at  my 
feet  I  heard  footsteps  on  the  walk  and  looked  up. 

To  my  amazement  I  saw  Egnatius  Capito  approaching. 

No  wonder  I  was  amazed.  I  knew  him  but  slightly.  I 
should  never  have  thought  of  asking  to  see  him,  as  I  had  asked 
to  be  allowed  to  see  several  of  my  semi-intimates.  Agathe- 
mer had  insisted  that  I  postpone  seeing  them,  because  an 
interview  with  any  of  them  was  likely  to  overtire  me.  I  knew 
that  no  one  could  have  entered  that  garden  without  Agathe- 
mer's  knowledge.  I  could  not  conceive  how  Capito  came  to 
be  there. 

He  greeted  me  formally  and  asked  permission  to  seat 
himself  beside  me.  I  gave  it  rather  grudgingly. 

He  asked  after  my  health  and  I  answered  only  less  grudg- 
ingly. 

"I  conjecture,"  he  said,  "that  you  are  surprised  to  see 
me  here?" 

"I  am  surprised,"  I  said  shortly. 

"Will  you  permit  me  to  explain?"  he  asked  courteously. 

I  could  not  be  less  courteous  than  he  and  signified  my 
assent. 

<fYour  secretary,"  he  said,  "is  of  the  opinion  that  your 
illness,  while  caused  by  your  injuries  in  the  affrays  into 
which  you  were  entrapped,  was  greatly  intensified  by  your 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

chagrin  at  finding  yourself  embroiled  with  both  the  Vedian 
and  Satronian  clans,  and  he  also  thinks  that  brooding  over 
the  condition  of  affairs  has  delayed  your  recovery." 

"I  assumed  all  that/'  I  interrupted,  "but  I  cannot  conceive 
why  he  has  talked  to  you  about  it." 

Capito  was  always  ingratiating.  He  gazed  at  me  reproach- 
fully, gently,  winningly. 

"If  I  have  your  permission/'  he  said,  "I  shall  explain." 

"Explain !"  I  cried  impatiently. 

"Agathemer,"  he  went  on,  "has  left  no  stone  unturned 
to  find  some  means  for  placating  both  clans  and  for  reconcil- 
ing you  with  both.  In  pursuit  of  this  aim  he  has  been 
cautious,  discreet,  tactful  and  secret.  He  has  covertly  tried 
many  plans  of  approach.  It  was  intimated  to  him,  truly, 
that  I  had  on  foot  a  scheme  which  promised  to  succeed  in 
reconciling  both  clans  with  each  other  and  he  rightly  inferred 
that  I  might  be  able  to  arrange  for  reconciling  both  with 
you  at  the  same  time.  I  am  confident  that  I  can,  as  I  told 
him  when  he  tentatively  approached  me  and  unostentatiously 
sounded  me  on  this  matter.  I  told  him  that  it  was  only 
necessary  that  I  have  an  interview  with  you  as  soon  as  might 
be.  Believing  that  an  early  dissipation  of  your  embroil- 
ment would  conduce  to  your  quick  and  complete  recovery  he 
arranged  for  me  to  meet  you  as  I  have/' 

While  he  was  saying  this  my  eyes  roved  about  the  garden. 
To  my  astonishment  I  saw  a  man  standing  against  the  shut 
postern  door,  intently  regarding  us  as  we  sat  on  the  marble 
seat  conferring.  In  my  half  convalescent  state  I  had  become 
used  to  acquiescence  in  anything  and  everything,  I  was 
inert  mentally  and  physically  and  my  perceptive  faculties 
dulled  and  slow  as  were  my  intellectual  processes.  While 
hearkening  to  Capito  I  gazed  at  the  man  uncomprehendingly, 
only  half  conscious.  I  thought  him  a  queer-looking  fellow 
to  be  in  Capito's  retinue;  he  did  not  look  like  a  slave,  but 
like  a  free  man  of  the  lowest  class.  I  did  not  recognize  him, 
yet  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  should;  I  did  not  like  the  way 
he  looked  at  us,  yet  I  said  nothing.  He  seemed  to  see  me 
looking  at  him,  opened  the  postern,  stepped  through  it  and 


THE  WATER-GARDEN  135 

shut  it  after  him.  As  he  went  I  was  shot  through  with  the 
conviction  that  I  had  seen  him  somewhere  before. 

"If  you  have  in  you/'  I  said  to  Capito,  "any  such  super- 
natural powers  as  you  would  need  for  success  in  what  you  aim 
at,  if  you  have  any  reasons  for  anticipating  success,  Agathe- 
mer  was  fully  justified  in  what  he  has  done.  If  you  can 
really  accomplish  what  you  seem  to  believe  you  can  accom- 
plish, I  shall  be  grateful  to  you  to  the  last  breath  I  draw. 
But  I  am  skeptical.  Speak  on.  Convince  me." 

"I  must  first/'  he  said,  "have  your  pledge  of  secrecy  for 
what  I  am  about  to  say." 

"What  sort  of  secrecy  ?"  I  queried,  repelled  and  suspicious. 

"If  I  am  to  disclose  what  I  wish  to  disclose/'  he  said, 
"you  must  give  me  your  word  not  to  reveal  by  word,  look, 
act  or  silence  anything  I  may  make  known  to  you,  from 
your  pledge  until  the  termination  of  our  interview." 

I  was  uneasy,  but  curious.     I  gave  my  pledge  as  he  asked. 

He  looked  about,  warily.  He  leaned  closer  to  me.  He 
spoke  in  a  subdued  tone. 

"It  must  be  known  to  you/'  he  said,  "that  many  of  us 
nobles,  many  men  of  equestrian  rank,  many  senators,  are 
gravely  anxious  concerning  the  Republic,  gravely  dissatisfied 
with  the  character  and  behavior,  I  might  say  the  misbe- 
havior, of  our  present  Prince." 

"I  don't  wonder  that  you  pledged  me  to  secrecy,"  I  blurted 
out.  "You  are  talking  treason." 

"Hear  me  to  the  end,"  he  begged,  "and  you  will  find  that 
I  am  talking  not  treason  but  patriotism." 

I  grunted  and  he  went  on. 

"Many  of  us  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  Republic,  which 
was  never  as  prosperous  as  within  the  past  eighty  years,  is 
in  grave  danger  of  losing  much  of  its  Empire,  so  gloriously 
extended  by  Trajan,  so  well  maintained  by  his  three  suc- 
cessors, if  it  continues  to  be  neglected  and  mismanaged  as 
it  is.  To  save  the  commonwealth  and  retain  its  provinces 
we  must  have  a  Caesar  competent,  diligent,  discreet  and 
brave;  and  not  one  of  these  epithets  can  be  properly  applied 
to  the  autocrat  now  in  power.  We  feel  that  he  must  be 


136  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

removed  and  that  there  must  be  substituted  for  him  a  ruler 
who  is  all  that  the  State  needs  and  has  the  right  to  expect." 

"Fine  words/'  I  said.  "Masking  a  conspiracy  to  assas- 
sinate our  Emperor." 

He  looked  shocked  and  pained. 

"Hear  me  out,"  he  pleaded. 

"I  am  curious,  I  confess/'  I  admitted,  "to  learn  what  all 
this  has  to  do  with  reconciling  Vedius  and  Satronius  and 
regaining  me  the  good  graces  of  both.  I  ought  to  terminate 
the  interview,  but  I  am  weak.  Go  on." 

"Naturally,"  he  said,  "both  Vedius  and  Satronius  resent 
what  the  Emperor  did  and  said  concerning  your  entangle- 
ment in  their  feud  and  they  are  both  infuriated  at  their 
humiliation  and  at  the  effective  means  he  took  to  tie  their 
hands  as  far  as  concerns  you  and  to  ensure  your  safety,  as 
far  as  they  were  concerned." 

"Commodus,"  I  interrupted,  "is  not  altogether  a  bungler 
when  he  gives  his  mind  to  the  duties  of  his  office." 

"May  I  go  on?"  Capito  enquired,  mildly,  even  reproach- 
fully and,  I  might  say,  irresistibly.  He  was  a  born  leader 
of  a  conspiracy,  for  few  men  could  be  alone  with  him  and 
not  fall  under  his  influence. 

"Go  on,"  I  said.  "I  am  consumed  with  curiosity  to  dis- 
cover how  their  rage  at  the  Emperor  could  lead  to  a  recon- 
ciliation between  them/' 

"It  is  not  obvious,  I  admit,"  he  said,  "but  when  I  explain, 
you  will  see  how  naturally,  how  inevitably  a  reconciliation 
might  be  expected  to  result. 

"You  have  seen,  perhaps  often,  a  peasant  or  laborer  beating 
Ms  wife?" 

"Everybody  has,"  I  replied.  "What  has  that  to  do  with 
what  you  were  talking  of?" 

"Be  patient !"  he  pleaded.  "You  have  seen  some  bystander 
interfere  in  such  a  domestic  fracas?" 

"Often,"  I  agreed. 

"You  have  also  seen,"  he  continued,  "not  only  the  hus- 
band turn  on  the  outsider,  but  the  wife  join  her  spouse  in 
attacking  her  would-be  rescuer,  have  seen  both  trounce  the 


THE  WATER-GARDEN  137 

interloper  and  in  their  mutual  help  forget  their  late  antago- 
nism." 

"Certainly,"  I  agreed. 

"Well/'  he  pursued,  "human  nature,  male  or  female,  low- 
life  or  high-life,  is  the  same  in  essence.  Vedius  and  Satro- 
nius  are  so  incensed  with  Csesar  for  balking  their  appetite  for 
revenge  on  you  that  they  are  thirsting  for  revenge  on  Caesar 
and  ready  to  forget  all  their  hereditary  animosities  and  join 
in  abasing  him.  In  fact,  they  have  joined  the  league  of 
patriots  of  which  I  am  the  leader.  And  they  are  so  bent 
on  their  new  purpose  that  they  are  ready  to  be  hearty  friends 
to  anyone  sworn  as  our  confederate.  I  can  arrange  to 
obliterate,  even  to  annihilate  forever,  all  trace  of  enmity 
between  you  and  either  of  them,  if  you  will  but  agree  to  let 
your  natural  inherent  patriotism  overcome  all  other  feelings 
in  your  heart  and  aid  us  to  abolish  the  shame  of  our  Eepublic 
and  to  safeguard  the  Commonwealth  and  the  Empire." 

All  this  while  I  had  been  half  listening  to  him,  half  occu- 
pied in  trying  to  recall  where  I  had  seen  the  man  who  had 
stepped  through  the  postern.  At  this  instant,  as  Capita 
paused,  I  suddenly  realized  that  he  was  the  immobile  horse- 
man whom  we  had  twice  passed  in  the  rain  by  the  roadside 
the  morning  I  had  started  from  my  villa  for  Rome.  His 
hooked  nose  was  unmistakable. 

Somehow  this  realization,  along  with  the  recollection  of 
what  Tanno  had  said  of  the  fellow,  woke  me  to  a  sense  of 
the  danger  to  which  I  was  exposed  by  being  with  Capito 
and  also  to  a  sense  of  the  craziness  of  his  ideas  and  plans. 

I  felt  my  face  redden. 

"You  have  said  enough!"  I  cut  him  short.  "I  perfectly 
understand.  You  think  yourself  the  destined  savior  of  Rome 
and  the  deviser  of  priceless  plans  for  Rome's  future.  You 
are  not  so  much  a  conspirator  as  a  lunatic.  Your  schemes 
are  half  idiocy,  half  moonshine.  I  have  pledged  you  my 
word  to  be  secret  as  to  what  you  have  told  me.  My  pledge 
holds  if  you  now  keep  silent,  rise  from  this  seat  and  walk 
straight  out  to  your  litter,  by  the  same  way  by  which  you 
came  from  it.  If  you  utter  another  syllable  to  me,  if  you 


138  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

do  not  rise  promptly,  if  you  hesitate  about  going,  if  you 
linger  on  your  path,  Fll  call  my  litter,  I'll  go  straight  to 
the  Palace,  I'll  ask  for  a  private  audience,  Fll  wait  till  I 
get  one,  I'll  tell  the  Emperor  every  word  you  have  said  to 
me.  If  you  want  protection  for  yourself  from  my  pledge, 
leave  me.  Go !" 

He  gave  one  glance  at  me  and  went. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   SQUALL  OF  THE  LEOPARD 

WHEN  he  was  gone,  when  I  had  seen  the  postern  door 
shut  behind  him,  I  felt  suddenly  weak  and  faint.  I 
was  amazed  to  find  how  exhausted  I  was  left  by  the  ebbing 
of  the  hot  wave  of  indignation  and  rage  which  had  surged 
through  me  as  I  revolted  from  his  absurd  and  contemptible 
proposals.  I  felt  flaccid  and  limp. 

At  this  instant  Agathemer  brought  me  a  tray  of  food.  My 
impulse  was  to  burst  out  at  him  with  reproaches  for  hav- 
ing, without  consulting  me,  presumed  to  arrange  for  me  an 
interview  with  a  man  not  among  my  intimates.  But  I  was 
so  enraged  that  I  dreaded  the  effect  on  me,  in  my  weakened 
state,  if  I  let  myself  go  in  respect  to  rebuking  my  slave.  I 
kept  silent  and  was  mildly  surprised  to  find  myself  tempted 
by  the  food.  I  ate  and  drank  all  that  was  on  the  tray,  and 
Agathemer  vanished  noiselessly,  without  a  word. 

I  sat  there,  revived  by  the  food  and  wine,  feeling  the  weak- 
ness caused  by  my  rage  gradually  passing  off  and  meditating 
on  the  sudden  change  in  my  condition.  Before  Capito  ac- 
costed me  I  had  felt  perfectly  well  and  was  looking  forward 
to  resuming  my  normal  life  next  day,  to  going  to  the  Palace 
Levee,  to  enjoying  a  bath  with  my  acquaintances  at  the 
Thermae  of  Titus.  Since  Capito  had  left  me  I  had  felt  so 


THE  SQUALL  OF  THE  LEOPARD         139 

overcome  that  I  was  ready  to  look  forward  to  some  days  yet 
of  strict  regimen  and  isolation. 

Thus  meditating  I  was  again  aware  of  footsteps  on  the 
walk. 

I  looked  up  and  was  more  amazed  than  when  I  had  caught 
sight  of  Capito.  Approaching  me,  but  a  few  paces  from  me, 
was  one  of  the  most  detestable  bores  in  Borne,  a  man  whom 
I  sedulously  avoided,  Faltonius  Bambilio.  His  father,  the 
Pontifex  of  Vesta,  was  an  offensively  and  absurdly  unctuous 
and  pompous  man.  His  son,  who  had  already  held  several 
minor  offices  in  the  City  Government,  had  been  one  of  the 
quaestors  the  year  before,  and  so  was  now  a  senator.  But 
he  was,  as  he  always  had  been,  as  he  remained,  a  booby.  I 
do  not  believe  that  there  was  any  man  in  Eome  I  detested 
so  heartily. 

He  greeted  me  as  if  he  had  a  right  to  my  notice  and  said : 

"I  was  told  that  Egnatius  Capito  was  in  this  garden." 

"He  was,"  I  replied  curtly,  "but  he  has  left  it." 

"I  certainly  am  disappointed,"  he  said,  seating  himself 
by  me,  uninvited.  "I  particularly  wanted  to  speak  to  Capito 
at  once." 

"You  might  find  him  at  his  house,"  I  suggested. 

But  Bambilio  was  impervious  to  suggestions. 

"I  wanted  to  talk  to  him  and  you  together,"  he  said,  "but 
that  can  be  managed  some  other  time." 

I  was  about  to  reply  tartly,  but  I  remembered  how  my 
irritation  with  Capito  had  affected  me  and  recalled  Galen's 
injunction  that  I  must  avoid  all  causes  of  excitement  and 
emotion.  I  held  my  peace. 

Bambilio,  as  if  he  had  been  an  intimate  and  had  been 
specially  invited,  lolled  comfortably  on  the  bench  and  gazed 
approvingly  about. 

"Fine  garden,  Andivius,"  he  said.  "Fine  trees,  fine  flowers 
and  I  say,  what  a  jewel  of  a  slave-girl,  eh !  Hedulio !" 

I  could  have  hit  him,  I  was  so  incensed  at  his  familiarity. 
I  was  already  choking  with  internal  rage  at  Agathemer  for 
having  let  anyone  in  to  talk  to  me  in  that  garden,  still  more 


140  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

at  his  having  done  so  without  consulting  me  and  most  of  all 
that  after  doing  so  he  had  not  made  sure  that  no  one  but 
Capito  could  pass  the  postern  door.  But  I  almost  exploded 
into  voluble  wrath  when  I  looked  where  he  indicated,  saw 
a  pretty,  shapely  young  woman  in  the  scanty  attire  of  a 
slave-girl  picking  flag-flowers  into  a  basket  she  carried,  and 
recognized  Vedia.  That  Agathemer's  presumption  should 
have  spoiled  the  interview  with  Vedia  which  she  and  Neme- 
stronia  had  manifestly  arranged  for  us,  that  it  should  have 
exposed  Vedia  in  her  undignified  disguise  to  recognition  by 
the  greatest  ass  and  blatherskite  in  the  senate,  this  infuri- 
ated me  till  I  felt  internally  like  Aetna  or  Vesuvius  on  the 
verge  of  eruption. 

Vedia,  for  it  was  she,  had  evidently  been  approaching  me 
circuitously,  hoping  to  be  noticed  and  hailed  from  afar.  Now 
when  she  was  near  enough  for  not  merely  a  lover  but  for 
any  acquaintance  to  recognize  her,  she  looked  up  at  me  over 
her  basket  as  she  laid  a  flower-stalk  in  it. 

Instantly  her  face  flamed,  she  turned  away  and  went  on 
picking  flowers  diligently.  After  she  had  moved  a  few  steps 
she  sprang  into  the  path  and  scampered  off  like  a  child,  her 
basket  swinging,  vanishing  through  a  door  in  the  upper  wall 
on  my  left. 

"Neat  little  piece!"  Bambilio  commented.  "Taking,  and 
every  part  of  her  pretty.  Fine  calves,  especially/' 

I  was  by  this  time  in  a  condition  which,  had  I  been  old 
and  fat,  must  have  brought  on  an  apoplexy.  But  my  hot 
rage  cooled  to  an  icy  haughtiness,  and,  though  it  took  a 
weary,  tedious  long  time,  I  kept  my  temper  and  my  demeanor, 
look,  tone  and  word,  managed  to  convey  to  him,  even  through 
the  thick  armor  of  his  self-conceit,  that  he  was  not  welcome. 
He  rose,  said  farewell  and  waddled  off  to  the  postern.  As 
soon  as  he  was  outside,  more  rapidly  than  I  had  moved  since 
I  was  felled  in  the  roadside  affray,  I  walked  to  that  door  and 
made  sure  that  it  was  bolted. 

I  was  strolling  unhurriedly  back  to  the  seat  I  had  left  and 
was  perhaps  half  way  to  it,  when  I  heard,  loud  and  clear, 
the  long-drawn,  blood-curdling  hunting-squall  of  Nemestro- 


THE  SQUALL  OF  THE  LEOPARD         141 

nia's  pet  leopard ;  heard  in  it  more  of  menace,  more  of  adult 
ferocity,  more  of  the  horrible  joy  of  the  power  to  kill  than 
I  had  ever  heard  before. 

Instantly  I  comprehended  what  had  happened.  Either 
Agathemer  when  he  took  off  my  tray  or  Vedia  when  she 
escaped  had  passed  through  the  wild-garden  (probably  it 
had  been  Vedia,  who  would  not  know  that  the  leopard  was 
confined  there),  and  had  left  a  door  imperfectly  closed.  The 
leopard,  which  might  have  been  asleep,  under  the  shrubberies 
and  invisible,  had  roused  and  had  passed  through  the  un- 
fastened door  up  into  the  terrace-garden.  This  was  the  kind 
of  morning  on  which  Nemestronia  would  have  many  visitors, 
the  kind  of  weather  which  would  tempt  them  to  have  their 
chairs  out  on  the  upper  terrace,  the  hour  of  the  morning  at 
which  they  would  be  most  likely  to  be  out  there.  The  leopard, 
I  instantly  inferred,  was  stalking,  not  some  hare,  porker,  kid 
or  lamb,  but  her  owner  and  her  owner's  guests. 

I  disembarrassed  myself  of  my  outer  garments,  threw  off 
my  sun-hat,  and,  clad  only  in  my  shoes  and  tunic,  sprinted 
for  the  door  into  the  wild-garden,  through  it,  through  its 
upper  door,  which,  as  I  had  forecasted,  I  found  open,  and  out 
on  the  lower  terrace.  From  there  I  could  not  see  anything 
on  the  upper  terrace,  but,  as  I  cleared  the  door,  I  heard  again, 
rising,  quavering,  sinking,  rising,  the  leopard's  hunting  cry 
from  the  upper  terrace.  I  sprang  up  the  stair  to  the  middle 
terrace,  and  half  way  up  that  to  the  upper;  but,  when  my 
head  was  about  on  a  level  with  the  pavement  of  the  walk 
along  the  upper  terrace,  I  checked  myself  and  moved  a  hairs- 
breadth  at  a  time;  for  the  rescue  on  which  I  had  come  was 
a  delicate  task  and  any  quick  movement  might  precipitate 
the  leopard's  killing-spring. 

Through  the  spaces  between  the  yellow  Numidian  marble 
balusters  I  saw  what  I  had  anticipated.  Partly  under  the 
big  middle  awning,  but  mostly  out  in  front  of  it  on  the  walk, 
were  set  a  score  of  light  chairs.  On  those  furthest  out  were 
seated  nine  ladies:  Nemestronia,  Vedia,  Urgulania,  Entedia, 
Aemilia  Prisca,  Magnonia,  Claudia  Ardeana,  Semnia, 
'Papiria  and  Cossonia.  They  were  rigid  in  their  chairs, 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

white  with  terror  and  yet  afraid  to  move  a  muscle.  Belly 
flat  on  the  walk,  about  twelve  paces  from  them,  crouched  the 
leopard,  moving  forward  a  paw  at  a  time.  As  I  gained  a 
view  of  her  she  emitted  a  third  squall. 

I  saw  that  I  was  in  time  and  felt  so  relieved  that  I  almost 
fainted  in  the  revulsion  from  my  agony  of  anxiety.  As  I 
began  to  move  my  mind  was  free  enough  to  wonder  how 
Vedia  had  found  time  to  change  from  her  slave-girl  disguise 
into  a  bewitching  fashionable  toilet.  Among  those  leaders  of 
Roman  society,  the  very  pick  of  Rome's  noblewomen,  she 
showed  her  best  and  outshone  them  all. 

I  moved  evenly  and  steadily  up  the  steps  and  along  the 
balustrade  till  I  was  past  the  crouching  leopard  and  then 
on  round  till  I  was  in  her  line  of  sight  and  half  between 
her  and  her  victims. 

She  recognized  me  at  once,  the  evil  switching  of  her  tail 
ceased,  she  half  rose;  she  began  to  purr,  a  purr  that  sounded 
to  me  as  loud  as  the  roar  of  a  water-fall  in  a  gorge;  she 
took  a  few  steps  towards  me,  then,  suddenly,  she  made  a  pecu- 
liar movement  hard  to  describe,  something  like  the  curvetting 
of  a  mettlesome  colt,  but  characteristic  of  a  leopard  and 
therefore  like  the  movement  of  no  other  animal  save  a  leopard 
or  lion  or  tiger;  she  leapt  daintily  clear  of  the  pavement 
and  struck  sideways  with  her  forepaws.  The  antic  perfectly 
expressed  playful  delight  and  friendliness. 

I  recognized  her  mood  and  knew  that  I  had  not  only  dis- 
tracted her  from  her  bloodthirst  but  had  her  entire  atten- 
tion. I  knew  what  I  must  do,  but  I  raged  at  the  ridiculous 
exhibition  which  I  must  make  of  myself  before  the  most 
fastidious  and  conventional  of  Rome's  noblewomen.  Yet,  if 
I  was  to  save  them,  I  must  not  hesitate.  I  threw  myself 
flat  on  my  side  on  the  pavement  and  made  clawing  motions 
with  my  hands  and  feet,  the  leopard  responded  to  my  sug- 
gestion, capered  again  as  before  and,  when  close  to  me,  lay 
down  before  me  on  the  pavement  and  began  to  paw  at  me, 
purring  loudly  in  her  throat,  now  and  then  snarling  softly, 
She  played  with  me  as  she  had  often  played  before,  all  her 
claws  sheathed  and  her  paws  soft  as  thistledown;  mumbling 


THE  SQUALL  OF  THE  LEOPARD         143 

my  hands  and  forearms  in  her  hot  mouth,  slavering  over 
them,  yet  never  so  much  as  bruising  the  skin  with  her 
needle-sharp  teeth.  Yet  I  seemed  to  detect  a  subtle  differ- 
ence in  her  mood  and,  from  moment  to  moment,  dreaded 
that  she  might  claw  me  to  ribbons  or  sink  her  fangs  in  my 
shoulders  or  face. 

All  the  while  she  was  mouthing,  pawing  and  kicking  me 
I  was  raging  at  Agathemer  for  having  put  me  in  a  position 
where  I  had  to  make  so  undignified  an  exhibition  of  myself 
before  such  an  assemblage. 

Presently  I  recognized  that  alteration  in  her  mood  which 
made  it  possible  for  me  to  rise,  take  her  by  the  scruff  of 
the  neck,  and  lead  her  off  to  her  cage. 

When  I  had  her  inside  I  realized  how  hot,  sweaty,  dusty 
tousled,  rumpled  and  mussed  I  was.  Her  cage  was  under 
the  vaulted  arcade  beneath  the  second  terrace.  I  was,  when 
I  shot  its  bolts,  altogether  out  of  sight  of  Vedia,  Nemestro- 
nia  and  the  other  noble  ladies  who  had  been  spectators  of 
my  tussle  with  the  leopard.  I  did  not  want  them  to  see  me 
again  in  my  dishevelled  and  dirty  condition:  I  sneaked  into 
the  house  by  the  passage  from  the  arcade  into  the  cellars 
and  up  the  scullery  stairs,  made  the  first  slave  I  saw  escort 
me  to  the  guest-room  I  usually  occupied  when  at  Nemestro- 
nia's  and  bade  him  summon  bath-attendants  and  dressers. 
Nemestronia  had  a  store-room  lined  with  wardrobes  of  men's 
attire  containing  every  sort  of  garment  of  every  style  and 
size.  I  was  soon  clean  and  clad  as  a  gentleman  should  be 
in  a  fresh  tunic  and  in  the  garment  I  had  left  in  the  water- 
garden,  which  a  footman  had  fetched  for  me. 

Then  I  went  out  on  the  upper  terrace. 

There  I  found  the  nine  ladies,  with  some  maids  and  waiters. 
Before  the  ladies,  facing  Nemestronia,  stood  Agathemer; 
behind  and  about  him  Nemestronia's  six  big,  husky,  bull- 
necked  slave-lashers,  the  two  head-lashers  with  their  many- 
lashed  scourges. 

I  realized  at  once  what  had  happened.  Nemestronia  had 
needed  no  one  to  inform  her  that  it  was  through  Agathemer's 
negligence  or  mismanagement  that  the  leopard  had  escaped 


144  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

from  the  wild-garden.  She  had  not  waited  to  ask  me  to 
investigate  the  matter  and  punish  my  slave.  She  had,  like 
the  great  noblewoman  she  was,  assumed  my  acquiescence 
and  approval  and  summoned  and  questioned  Agathemer.  Be- 
fore I  appeared  his  answers  had  convicted  him.  She  did  not 
look  round  at  me  as  I  joined  the  group  and  seated  myself 
in  a  vacant  chair  on  her  left,  between  Vedia  and  Claudia 
Ardeana.  As  I  seated  myself  she  gave  the  order: 

"Strip  him  and  give  him  a  hundred  lashes !" 

Now,  then  and  there  I  found  myself  in  the  most  cruel  and 
painful  situation  I  had  ever  been  in  my  life.  Agathemer 
and  I  had  been  playmates  almost  from  our  cradles;  com- 
rades, cronies,  chums  all  our  lives.  Neither  of  us  had  ever 
had  a  brother.  Each  had  been,  since  infancy,  a  brother  to 
the  other.  I  could  not  have  loved  a  real  brother  any  more 
than  I  loved  Agathemer,  nor  could  he  have  had  more  im- 
plicit confidence  in  the  goodwill  of  a  blood  brother.  I  was, 
in  fact,  as  solicitous  for  Agathemer's  welfare  as  for  my  own 
and  I  rejoiced  with  his  joys  and  mourned  with  his  griefs. 
I  would  have  done  anything  to  protect  him  and  save  him, 
as  he  had  faithfully  and  tirelessly  nursed  and  cared  for  me 
in  my  illness. 

But  I  knew  that  no  explanations  could  ever  make  Neme- 
stronia  understand  our  mutual  relations  or  accept  my  views 
of  them;  to  her  a  slave  was  a  slave;  she  felt  as  unalterable 
a  gulf  between  free  man  and  slave  as  between  mankind  and 
cattle.  I  could  only  let  her  have  her  way,  though  I  wag 
inundated  with  misery  at  the  thought  of  Agathemer's  ap- 
proaching agonies.  I  had  been  hotly  wrathful  with  him 
and  had  meditated,  as  I  dressed,  what  sort  of  punishment 
would  befit  his  fault :  now  that  Nemestronia  had  ordered  him 
flogged  my  resentment  against  him  had  all  oozed  out  of  me 
and  I  was  filled  with  sympathy  for  him  and  scorn  of  my 
cowardice  in  not  protecting  him.  I  glanced  at  him  as  the 
lashers  stripped  and  bound  him.  He  sent  back  at  me  a 
glance  which  said,  as  plain  as  words: 

"I  am  to  blame.  I  know  you  are  sorry  for  me.  But  give 
no  sign,  I  must  go  thxough  this  alone/' 


THE  SQUALL  OF  THE  LEOPARD         145 

And  I  had  to  sit  there  while  the  head-lasher  flogged  him 
till  the  pavement  on  which  he  lay  was  all  a  pool  of  gore, 
till  his  back  was  in  tatters  from  neck  to  hips,  till  he  was 
carried  off,  insensible,  perhaps  dead. 

Also  I  had  to  express  my  approbation  of  Nemestronia's 
orders,  and  had  to  sit  there  and  chat  with  the  ladies,  seven 
of  whom  were  inclined  to  be  facetious  over  the  figure  I  had 
cut  sprawling  on  the  mosiac  walk,  tussling  with  that  abomi- 
nable leopard.  They  thanked  me  for  saving  their  lives,  or 
at  least,  the  life  of  some  one  of  them.  But  they  were  sly 
about  my  comical  appearance  while  the  leopard  mauled  and 
tousled  me. 

Two  did  not  speak. 

Vedia  was  cold  and  mute  and  spoke  only  when  she  rose, 
excusing  herself  to  Nemestronia  and  calling  for  her  litter 
first  of  them  all. 

Nemestronia  was  so  weak  from  the  reaction  after  her  fright 
and  so  unwilling  to  display  her  weakness  that  she  hardly 
spoke,  limiting  herself  to  the  brief  words  courtesy  demanded. 

When  I  reached  home  I  forgot  everything  else  in  my 
solicitude  for  Agathemer.  I  not  only  called  for  my  own 
physician,  but  sent  urgent  messages  summoning  Galen  and 
Celsianus.  Celsianus  was  affronted  at  the  suggestion  that 
he  stoop  to  prescribe  for  a  slave  and  incensed  at  having  been 
called  in  haste  for  such  a  trifle:  but  Galen,  who  came  in 
while  Celsianus  was  expressing  his  indignation,  diverted  his 
mind  at  once  by  rejoicing  that  I  was  sufficiently  recovered 
to  take  that  much  interest  in  one  of  my  slaves.  He  made 
haste  to  see,  inspect  and  assist  Agathemer:  when  he  was 
somewhat  relieved  and  we  had  left  him  abed  with  Occo  to 
watch  him  and  with  injunctions  that  quiet  was  the  best 
medicine  for  him,  Galen  turned  to  me. 

"You  have  had  a  shock,"  he  said,  "and  a  superabundance 
of  excitement.  Tell  me  all  about  it." 

When  I  had  told  him  what  had  happened,  omitting  only 
Vedia's  disguise  and  her  presence  in  the  water-garden,  he 
said: 

"I  certainly  should  not  nave  prescribed  any  such  excite- 


146  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

merits  and  efforts  as  medicaments  for  a  case  like  yours.  But 
it  sometimes  happens  that  being  startled  accomplishes  more 
towards  a  cure  than  long  rest  can.  Your  perturbation  of 
mind  and  activity  of  body  has  cured  you.  You  are,  as  far 
as  I  can  judge,  well.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  you  may  safely 
eat  and  drink  what  you  like  in  moderation,  rest  only  as  you 
please  and  may  resume  your  normal  life." 

I  was,  naturally,  much  pleased,  but  had  no  impulse  to 
resume  my  habits  that  day.  I  kept  indoors,  denied  myself 
to  all  visitors,  slept  long  after  Galen  had  left,  ate  a  moderate 
dinner  and  went  early  to  bed. 

Next  day  I  went  through  the  normal  routine  of  a  Roman 
of  my  rank.  The  story  of  the  leopard  had  been  noised  about 
and  the  husbands  of  the  ladies  concerned  every  one  came  to 
salute  me  at  my  morning  reception  and  to  thank  me  for 
my  miraculous  intervention,  as  they  called  it.  As  six  of  the 
eight  were  senators  my  atrium  had  an  aspect  seldom  seen  at 
the  reception  of  a  man  of  equestrian  rank. 

At  the  Palace  I  found  the  tale  of  the  leopard  had  reached 
the  ears  of  the  Emperor.  He  congratulated  me,  saying: 

ffYou  are  not  only  a  good  fighter,  Hedulio,  but  also  in- 
credibly bold  and  marvellously  favored  by  the  gods/' 

Tanno  was  at  the  Palace  to  say  farewell  for  the  summer, 
as  he  was  off  for  Baise  to  enjoy  the  scenery  and  sea-breezes. 

"I  envy  you,"  said  Commodus.  "I  must  remain  here 
many  days  yet  to  get  rid  of  the  most  pressing  matters  on  my 
crowded  files  of  official  papers." 

After  the  Palace  levee  was  over  I  went  to  Vedia's  man- 
sion and  tried  to  see  her,  but  was  rebuffed,  the  porter  declar- 
ing that,  by  her  physician's  orders,  she  was  denying  herself 
to  all  visitors. 

At  home  I  found  Agathemer  still  suffering  terribly,  but 
without  fever,  with  no  sign  of  proud  flesh  anywhere  on  his 
flayed  back  and  not  only  entirely  able  to  talk  to  me  but  eager 
to  do  so.  We  had  a  long  talk  on  the  entire  subject  of  our 
peculiar  relations  as  a  master  and  slave  who  were  more  like 
brothers.  He  assured  me  that  I  had  done  just  right  to  act 


THE  SQUALL  OF  THE  LEOPARD         147 

as  I  had  and  he  begged  my  pardon  for  his  blunders  in  arrang- 
ing to  have  Capito  admitted  to  talk  to  me,  in  arranging  it 
without  my  permission  or  even  knowledge,  in  neglecting  to 
guard  the  outer  door  of  the  garden  and  so  admitting  Bam- 
bilio,  and  in  causing  the  escape  of  the  leopard.  I  heartily 
forgave  him,  told  him  to  forget  all  that,  that  I  forgot  it  all 
and,  on  my  side,  begged  his  forgiveness  for  his  agonies.  He 
said  there  was  nothing  to  forgive:  that  my  uncle's  injunc- 
tions had  compelled  my  leaving  him  a  slave  and  the  rest 
had  been  his  fault,  not  mine. 

I  told  him  that  I  would  do  anything  in  my  power  to  make 
him  well,  comfortable  and  happy,  except  setting  him  free, 
from  which  I  was  restrained  by  my  uncle's  behests. 

He  asked  to  be  allowed  to  return  to  Villa  Andivia  as  soon 
as  the  physicians  pronounced  him  fit  to  travel. 

I  agreed:  commanded  that  my  travelling  carriage,  which 
Marcus  Martius  had  returned  to  me,  should  be  put  in  order 
and  prepared  for  the  journey;  and  consulted  Galen,  who 
came  of  his  own  accord  to  see  Agathemer  two  days  in  suc- 
cession. On  his  third  visit  he  gave  Agathemer  permission 
to  travel  by  carriage  the  next  day  and  he  accordingly  set  on* 
for  Villa  Andivia  on  the  Ides  of  August. 

Each  day  I  had  spent  most  of  my  afternoon  at  the  Baths 
of  Titus.  Each  afternoon  I  had  seen  Vedia  at  a  distance, 
but  she  had  always  taken  pains  to  avoid  me,  and  one  can- 
not pursue  or  seem  to  pursue,  a  lady  in  the  Thermae. 

Each  day,  also,  I  had  called  to  see  her  at  her  house;  each 
day  I  had  been  rebuffed.  On  the  morning  of  the  nineteenth 
day  before  the  Kalends  of  September  one  of  the  runners 
brought  me  a  letter.  It  read: 

"Vedia  gives  greetings  to  Andivius.  If  you  are  well  I 
am  well  also/' 

But  this  formal  opening  altered  at  once  to  familiar  writing. 

"You  are  acting  like  a  silly  boy.  As  things  are,  both 
in  my  cousins'  clan  and  in  that  of  my  late  husband,  I  cannot 
receive  you  at  my  house,  and  you  ought  to  have  sense  enough 
to  realize  that  without  being  told.  Be  patient  and  I  shall 


148  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

arrange  for  an  interview  with  you.     Please  avoid  me  at  the 
Baths,  as  I  have  you. 

"Farewell." 

This  letter  greatly  encouraged  me  and  I  felt  so  elated 
that  I  really  enjoyed  life  for  the  next  few  days,  which  were 
filled  up  with  a  reception  of  my  own  each  morning,  a  round 
of  receptions  to  salute  magnates,  my  salutation  to  the  Em- 
peror, a  lunch  always  with  some  friends,  a  long  nap  at  home, 
a  lingering  afternoon  at  the  Baths  of  Titus,  and  a  jolly 
dinner  at  some  friend's  house,  for  I  was  invited  out  twice 
each  day. 

On  the  seventh  day  before  the  Kalends  of  September,  as 
I  was  on  my  way  to  the  Palace  levee,  a  runner  inconspicu- 
ously clad  ranged  himself  alongside  my  litter  and  handed 
me  a  letter. 

It  read: 

"She  whose  handwriting  he  will  recognize  gives  greeting 
to  Hedulio.  Take  care!  Do  not  let  anyone  see  this  letter j 
take  care  to  seem  negligent  and  uninterested  as  you  read  it. 

"A  conspiracy  against  the  life  of  Caesar  has  been  detected 
and  reported.  Its  leader  is  said  to  be  Egnatius  Capito.  As 
some  informer,  sponsored  by  Talponius  Pulto,  claims  to  have 
seen  you  in  Capito's  company,  you  are  implicated.  Save 
yourself.  Do  not  return  home.  Do  not  go  to  the  Palace, 
order  yourself  carried  immediately  to  the  Querquetulan  Gate. 
On  the  way  there  purchase  a  raincloak  and  an  umbrella  hat 
and  whatever  else  may  be  needful  for  your  journey.  Outside 
the  Porta  Querquetulana,  in  front  of  Plosurnia's  tavern,  you 
will  find  one  of  the  fastest  horses  in  Italy,  a  blood-bay, 
noticeable  for  light-blue  reins  with  silver  bosses,  his  saddle- 
cloth light-blue  with  a  silver  edge.  Descend  from  your  litter 
in  front  of  the  tavern,  accost  the  man,  holding  the  horse, 
say  to  him: 

"  'Is  this  the  leopard-tamer's  horse  ?' 

"He  will  reply  : 

"  <It  is/ 

"Then  say: 

"  'I  am  the  leopard-tamer/ 


THE  SQUALL  OF  THE  LEOPARD 

"He  will  then  allow  one  of  your  spare  bearers  to  take  the 
horse. 

"Divest  yourself  of  your  toga  then,  not  sooner.  Equip 
yourself  for  your  journey.  Mount  and  order  your  bearers 
to  take  your  empty  litter  home.  Follow  the  Prsenestine  High- 
road till  it  meets  the  Via  Labicana.  Then  take  the  first 
crossroad  to  the  Highroad  to  Tibur.  From  Tibur  press 
on  to  Carseoli.  From  there  return  to  Villa  Andivia  as  you 
judge  best.  Provide  for  yourself  thereafter  as  best  you 
may. 

"Farewell." 

I  recognized  Vedia's  handwriting.  I  trusted  her  implicitly. 
I  was  far  more  elated  at  her  concern  for  me  than  I  was 
depressed  at  my  impending  ruin.  Somehow  the  fact  that 
she  had  taken  the  trouble  not  only  to  warn  me,  but  to  think 
out  for  me  all  the  details  of  a  plan  of  at  least  temporary 
escape,  the  inference  that  she  hoped,  hoped  against  hope, 
that  I  might  be  somehow  saved,  heartened  me  amazingly; 
so  that  I  was  rather  inspirited  at  the  prospect  of  adventure 
than  daunted  by  the  shadow  of  inescapable  doom.  I  gath- 
ered myself  together,  determined  to  take  as  much  advantage 
as  possible  of  Vedia's  warning,  and  of  the  respite  it  afforded 
me.  I  resolved  to  follow  her  suggestions.  I  had  set  out 
for  the  Palace  unusually  early.  I  had  plenty  of  time.  I 
ordered  my  bearers  to  carry  me  through  the  heart  of  the 
City  down  the  whole  length  of  the  Vicus  TILSCUS  to  the  meat 
market 

I  should,  I  suppose,  have  been  in  an  agony  of  vain  regrets ; 
I  rather  expected  from  moment  to  moment  to  be  drowned 
in  an  inundation  of  such  sensations,  I  was  more  than  a  little 
surprised  at  my  actual  feelings.  Here  I  was,  hitherto  a 
wealthy  Eoman  nobleman  in  excellent  standing  with  my 
fellows,  my  superiors  and  the  Prince ;  from  now  on  a  hunted 
fugitive  and  not  likely  to  postpone  my  last  hour  more  than 
a  few  days.  I  was,  presumably,  viewing  the  throbbing  heart 
of  glorious  Rome  for  the  last  time.  I  should  have  felt  chief 
mourner  at  my  own  funeral.  Actually  I  relished,  I  hugely 
enjoyed,  every  pace  of  my  progress  through  the  filling  streets, 


150  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

where  the  passers-by  and  idlers  were  still  fresh  and  lively 
after  a  night's  sleep  and  where  everything  was  irradiated  by 
cheerful  morning  sunlight.  I  felt  cheerful  as  the  sunlight. 

Beyond  the  Meat  Market  I  had  my  bearers  stop  at  the 
Temple  of  Fortune,  which  I  entered,  there  I  prayed  fervently 
before  the  statue  of  the  Goddess. 

When  I  was  again  out  in  the  market  I  bought  two  live 
white  hens,  young  and  plump,  and  assigned  one  of  my  relief- 
bearers  to  carry  carefully  the  basket  in  which  the  old  market- 
woman  ensconced  them,  after  I  had  paid  her  well  for  her 
basket  as  well  as  her  hens. 

Then  I  had  my  men  carry  me  down  the  straight  empty 
street  along  the  southwest  flank  of  the  Circus  Maximus. 
Half  way  along  it  I  halted  them  before  the  Temple  of  Mer- 
cury. This  I  entered  and,  bidding  one  of  the  attendants 
lead  me  to  the  priest  in  charge  at  that  hour,  I  requested  him 
to  offer  for  me  the  two  white  hens  and  beseech  for  me  the 
favor  of  the  God. 

Outside  I  reentered  my  litter  and  made  my  bearers  trot 
all  the  way  round  by  the  big  and  little  Ccelian  Hills  to  the 
Querquetulan  Gate.  We  passed  on  this  route  many  cheap 
shops.  From  one  I  bought  a  pair  of  horseman's  high  boots, 
soft  and  supple  and  mud-proof.  All  the  way  I  enjoyed 
hugely  my  outing  and  the  sights  and  sounds  around  me. 
From  another  shop  one  of  my  reliefs  brought  me  an  umbrella 
hat  which  fitted  me  and  a  voluminous  horseman's  raincloak 
which  could  not  but  protect  anybody ;  at  another  I  had  bought 
for  me  a  wallet;  at  another  flint  and  steel  in  a  good  horn 
case,  compact  and  neat. 

Outside  the  Querquetulan  Gate,  which  my  bearers  reached 
blown  and  sweating,  although  the  reliefs  had  changed  at  short 
intervals,  we  had  no  difficulty  in  locating  Plosurnia's  tavern. 
The  holder  of  the  bay  horse  with  the  blue  and  silver  trappings 
recognized  my  pass-words  and  surrendered  his  charge  to  one 
of  my  extra  bearers.  At  the  tavern  another  lined  my  wallet 
with  bread,  sausages,  olives,  dried  figs  and  cheese,  while  I 
was  changing  into  horseman's  kit. 

I  put  into  the  wallet  my  money,  more  than  enough  cash 


THE  SQUALL  OF  THE  LEOPARD          151 

for  my  journey  home,  and  Vedia's  letter.  I  then  mounted, 
gave  my  boys  their  orders  and  set  off  at  an  easy  canter.  I 
knew  I  must  show  no  signs  of  haste  until  I  was  on  the 
Highroad,  so  I  took  my  time  about  working  round  to  it. 
Once  on  the  Via  Tiburtina,  where  horsemen  at  a  tearing 
gallop,  going  in  either  direction,  were  too  common  a  sight 
to  cause  any  remarks,  I  let  out  my  mettlesome  mount  and 
covered  the  remainder  of  the  twenty-four  miles  to  Tibur 
not  long  before  noon. 

Between  the  bridge  over  the  Anio  and  Tibur  are  a  num- 
ber of  hilltops,  from  each  of  which  one  has  a  fine  view  of 
Eome,  if  the  weather  is  clear  and  bright.  The  weather  was 
very  bright  and  clear  and  the  views  very  fine.  At  each  hill- 
top I  checked  my  mount,  wheeled  him  and  remained  so  for 
sometime,  contemplating  the  magnificence  I  might  never  see 
again,  the  glory  upon  which  my  gaze,  most  likely,  would 
never  again  feast.  I  should  have  felt  my  eyes  fill  with  tears 
at  each  of  these  prospects,  the  viewing  of  which  was,  each 
time,  in  the  nature  of  a  last  farewell.  Yet,  somehow,  most 
irrationally,  I  felt  anything  but  dejected,  rather  hopeful  and 
full  of  conjectures  about  my  future,  instead  of  being  filled 
with  forebodings  of  doom,  with  sorrow  for  my  hard  fate. 


BOOKH 

DISAPPEARANCE 


CHAPTEE  X 

ESCAPE 

AT  Tibur  I  put  up  at  a  clean  little  inn  I  had  known  of 
since  boyhood,  but  which  I  had  never  before  entered 
or  even  seen,  so  that  I  felt  safe  there  and  reasonably  sure 
to  pass  as  a  traveller  of  no  rank  whatever.  My  knowledge 
of  country  ways,  too,  enabled  me  to  behave  like  a  landed 
proprietor  of  small  means. 

After  a  hearty  lunch  I  pushed  boldly  on  up  the  Valerian 
Highway  and  covered  the  twenty-two  miles  between  Tibur 
and  Carseoli  without  visibly  tiring  my  mount.  He  was  no- 
more  winded  nor  lathered  than  any  traveller's  horse  should 
be  at  the  end  of  a  day  on  the  road.  At  Carseoli  I  again 
knew  of  a  clean,  quiet  inn,  and  there  I  dined  and  slept. 

Thence  I  intended  to  follow  the  rough  country  roads  along 
the  Tolenus.  Stream-side  roads  are  always  bad,  so  I  allowed 
two  days  more  in  which  to  reach  home,  and  I  could  hardly 
have  done  it  quicker.  The  night  after  I  left  Carseoli  I 
camped  by  a  tributary  of  the  Tolenus  in  a  very  pretty  little 
grove.  From  Carseoli  on  the  weather  was  fine. 

About  the  third  hour  of  the  day,  on  the  fifth  day  before 
the  Kalends  of  September,  of  a  fair,  bright  morning,  I  came 
to  my  own  estate.  On  the  road  nearing  it  I  had  met  no 
one.  I  met  no  one  along  the  woodland  tracks  leading  into 
my  property  from  that  side:  on  my  estate  I  met  no  one 
save  just  as  I  was  about  to  enter  my  villa.  Then  I  encount- 
ered Ofatulenus,  bailiff  of  the  Villa  Farm.  He,  of  course, 
was  amazed  to  see  me.  I  bade  him  mention  to  no  one,  not 
even  to  his  wife,  that  I  had  returned  home. 

"Be  secret!'5  I  enjoined. 

He  nodded. 

165 


156  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

I  believed  lie  would  be  dumb.  Give  me  a  Sabine  to  keep 
a  secret;  Fd  back  any  Sabine  against  any  other  sort  of 
human  being. 

Ofatulenus  took  my  horse  and  swore  that  no  one  outside 
of  the  stable  should  know  it  was  there  or  suspect  it.  I  told 
him  to  lock  the  trappings  in  the  third  locker  in  my  harness- 
room,  which  locker  I  knew  should  be  empty. 

I  got  from  the  stable  to  my  villa  without  encountering 
any  human  being.  Outside  I  found  Agathemer,  as  I  had 
hoped  I  would,  sunning  himself  on  the  terrace. 

He  was  even  more  amazed  than  Ofatulenus  and  began  to 
exclaim.  I  silenced  him  and  questioned  him  as  to  his  health. 
He  told  me  that  his  back  was  entirely  healed  and  that,  while 
any  effort  still  caused  him  not  a  little  pain,  he  was  capable 
of  the  customary  activities  of  his  normal  life. 

I  then  told  him  why  I  had  returned  home.  He  listened 
in  silence,  except  that  he  here  and  there  put  in  a  query  when 
I  omitted  some  detail  in  my  excitement. 

When  he  understood  my  situation  thoroughly  he  asked: 

"And  what  do  you  propose  to  do  ?" 

"I  propose,"  I  said,  "to  live  here  unobtrusively,  visiting 
no  one,  receiving  no  one  and,  by  all  the  means  in  our  power, 
arranging  that  as  few  persons  as  possible  may  know  of  my 
presence  here.  There  is  not  the  faintest  scintilla  of  hope 
in  my  doing  anything  whatever.  But  if  I  merely  exist 
without  calling  attention  to  my  existence  there  may  be  some 
hope  for  me.  No  man  accused  as  I  am  is  ever  allowed  an 
opportunity  to  clear  himself:  but  it  has  often  happened 
that,  by  keeping  away  from  Eome  for  a  time,  a  man  in  my 
situation  has  given  his  friends  a  chance  to  use  their  influence 
in  his  behalf,  to  gain  the  ear  of  someone  powerful  at  Court, 
to  get  an  unbiassed  hearing  for  what  they  had  to  say,  to 
prove  his  complete  innocence  and  rehabilitate  him.  Vedia 
and  Tanno  will  do  all  they  can  for  me.  I  have  hosts  of 
friends,  not  a  few  of  whom  will  aid  Vedia  and  Tanno  as  far 
as  they  are  able.  By  keeping  quiet  here  I  shall  give  my 
friends  a  chance  to  save  me,  if  I  can  be  saved.  If  not,  I 


ESCAPE  157 

shall  here  await  such  orders  as  may  be  sent  me,  or  my  arrest,, 
if  I  am  to  be  seized." 

"Is  that  your  whole  plan?"  Agathemer  queried. 

"All,"  I  said. 

"May  I  speak?"  he  asked.  "May  I  speak  out  my  full 
mind?" 

"Certainly !"  I  agreed.     "Speak !" 

"If  you  stay  here  as  you  propose,"  he  said,  "you  will  be 
arrested  not  later  than  tomorrow  and  haled  to  your  death, 
if  not  butchered  at  sight.  At  most  the  centurion  in  charge 
might  allow  you  an  hour  in  which  to  commit  suicide.  But 
if  you  remain  here  inactive  your  death  is  certain,  you  will 
never  see  two  sunrises. 

"But  I  agree  with  you  that  your  friends  will  do  what  they 
can  and  I  heartily  believe  that  Opsitius  and  Vedia  will  move 
sky,  earth  and  sea  and  Hades  beneath  all,  as  far  as  their 
powers  go,  to  save  you.  If  they  have  any  chance  of  succeed- 
ing they  will  need  more  time  than  Perennis  will  give  them. 
If  you  stay  here  you  will  be  dead  before  they  can  so  much 
as  lay  plans  to  gain  them  the  ear  of  Saoteros  and  Anteros  or 
some  other  Palace  favorite,  let  alone  groping  through  all 
the  complicated  intrigues  necessary  to  arrange  for  an  audi- 
ence with  the  Emperor  when  he  might  be  in  a  compliant 
humor. 

"Your  plan  means  certain  death  for  you.  I  think  I  can 
save  you  if  you  will  put  yourself  in  my  hands.  Will  you?" 

"I  most  certainly  will,"  I  said,  "and  without  reservation. 
If  you  think  you  can  save  me,  tell  me  what  you  want  me 
to  do  and  I  shall  do  it.  I  shall  follow  your  suggestions  im- 
plicitly." 

"Well,"  said  Agathemer,  "since  remaining  here  means  cer- 
tain death  and  since  there  seems  a  chance  of  final  salvation 
for  you  through  the  efforts  of  your  friends  and  especially 
those  of  Opsitius  and  Yedia,  since  they  will  need  plenty  of 
time  to  save  you,  if  you  can  be  saved,  from  every  point  of 
view  the  right  course  of  action  is  not  merely  inaction,  not 
merely  hiding,  but  an  immediate  and  complete  disappear- 


158  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

ance.  If  you  are  found  you  will  be  ordered  to  kill  yourself 
or  will  be  put  to  death.  If  you  cannot  be  found  you  cannot 
be  killed  or  made  to  kill  yourself.  Since  you  cannot  be 
found  you  will  stay  alive  until  you  can  be  rehabilitated  with 
the  Emperor.  If  that  cannot  be  done  or  is  not  done,  at  least 
you  will  be  alive.  My  deduction  is,  disappear  at  once  and 
completely.  You  have  many  times,  for  a  lark,  disguised 
yourself  as  an  ordinary  country  proprietor  or  small  farmer 
and  mingled  with  the  crowd  at  a  fair  without  being  recog- 
nized. What  you  have  done  for  an  evening  in  jest  now 
attempt  in  earnest  and  for  as  long  a  period  as  is  necessary. 
And  to  begin  with,  vanish  from  here  at  once  and  completely." 

"But  how?"  I  queried. 

"If  you  are  to  disappear,"  said  Agathemer,  "why  should 
I  waste  time  in  explaining  how.  Let  us  disappear  together, 
leaving  no  trace  and  let  us  do  it  at  once." 

"But,"  I  cried,  "I  could  never  consent  to  anything  like 
that !  You  are  not  in  any  danger.  You  will  be  manumitted 
by  my  will  and  you  can  live  safely,  comfortably  and  at  ease. 
Why  should  I  drag  you  into  I  know  not  what  miseries,  hard- 
ships and  privations  along  with  me  ?  Tell  me  what  to  do  and 
I  will  proceed  to  do  it.  But  do  you  stay  here." 

"If  I  told  you  my  plan,"  said  Agathemer,  "you  could  not 
carry  it  out  alone.  My  scheme  for  your  escape  and  vanish- 
ment pivots  on  my  disappearing  along  with  you.  If  you 
agree,  as  I  beg  that  you  will,  we  shall  both  be  safe,  I  hope 
and  trust;  alive,  able  to  return  here  if  it  can  be  arranged, 
able  to  live  elsewhere,  somehow,  if  it  cannot  be  arranged. 
If  you  refuse  your  assent,  I  shall  die  with  you  or  soon  after 
you ;  I  am  resolute  not  to  survive  you." 

"I  agree,"  I  said.  "I  am  under  your  orders  henceforth, 
not  you  under  mine/' 

Agathemer  at  once  guided  me  into  the  house  and  upstairs 
to  his  rooms,  for  he  inhabited  the  guest-suite  next  my  rooms, 
which  had  been  my  uncle's. 

"The  first  thing  to  do,"  he  said,  "is  for  both  of  us  to  eat 
heartily,  for  we  do  not  know  when  we  shall  eat  again.  I 


ESCAPE  159 

have  been  choicy  and  whimmy  about  my  eating  since  I  came 
back  here  and  mostly  my  meals  have  revolted  me  and  I  have 
left  the  triclinmm  practically  unfed,  whereas  I  have  often 
been  seized  with  imperative  hunger  between  meals.  I  have 
an  overabundant  supply  of  all  sorts  of  tempting  cold  viands 
up  here." 

And,  in  fact,  in  the  room  he  used  as  a  reading  and  writing 
room,  on  a  side  table,  I  found  an  inviting  array  of  cold 
meats,  jellies,  cakes,  and  fancy  breads,  with  an  assortment 
of  wines.  We  ate  till  we  could  eat  no  more,  masticating  our 
food  carefully  and  taking  wine  in  moderation. 

Then  Agathemer  put  up  a  liberal  supply  of  bread  and 
relishes  in  a  small  linen  bag,  obliterated  all  traces  of  our 
meal  and  presence  and  went  into  his  dressing-room,  where 
he  stripped  stark  naked  and  rubbed  himself  down  with  a 
rough  towel,  carefully  disposing  of  his  garments  in  his  ward- 
robes. 

From  one  of  his  tables  he  took  a  small  silver  case  contain- 
ing flint,  steel  and  tinder.  Then  we  went  into  my  rooms, 
where  he  stripped  me,  rubbed  me  down,  and  disposed  of  my 
garments  as  he  had  of  his.  My  wallet  he  took  pains  to  hide 
in  the  bottom  of  a  chest,  after  emptying  it  and  putting  the 
contents  about  so  that  each  article  was  hidden  in  a  different 
place  and  none  could  be  connected  with  the  others  or  with 
the  wallet.  The  little  horn  case  with  flint  and  steel  he 
retained. 

The  ante-room  to  what  had  been  my  uncle's  bed-room  and 
was  now  mine,  had  on  its  walls  trophies  of  hunting-spears 
and  other  weapons  of  the  chase.  Agathemer  selected  two 
knives  for  killing  wounded  stags,  dependable  implements, 
blade  and  shank  one  piece  of  fine  steel,  the  handles  of  stag* 
horn,  fastened  on  with  copper  rivets. 

With  the  bag  of  food,  the  two  knives  and  the  two  tinder 
boxes  we  went  up  my  uncle's  private  stair  to  his  library  and 
reading  room. 

My  uncle  had  had  his  own  ideas  as  to  nearly  everything, 
usually  much  at  variance  with  other  people's  ideas.  As  to 


160  ANDIVIUS  HEDIILIO 

building  his  ideas,  perhaps,  were  less  aberrant  than  his  opin- 
ions on  other  subjects,  but,  certainly  he  was  as  tenacious  of 
them  as  of  his  other  notions. 

He  held,  in  the  first  place,  that  sleeping-rooms  on  the 
ground-floor  of  any  house  were  unhealthy  and  a  relic  of 
primitive  barbarism.  He  was  equally  positive  that,  in  the 
country,  where  there  was  ample  room  for  a  building  to  spread 
out,  it  was  folly  to  construct  a  dwelling  of  three  or  more 
stories :  such  villas  he  railed  at  as  exhibitions  of  silly  extrava- 
gance and  of  a  desire  to  appear  different  from  one's  neighbors. 
His  villa,  therefore,  was  of  two  stories  only. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  he  loved  fresh  air,  light,  and  wide 
prospects  from  his  windows;  also  he  spent  most  of  his  day- 
light reading  or  writing,  or  both.  To  gratify  to  the  full  all 
his  chief  tastes  at  once  he  included  in  the  plans  of  his  villa 
a  sort  of  tower,  at  the  northwest  corner,  rising  well  above 
the  remainder  of  the  structure,  so  that  the  floors  of  its  third 
story  were  on  a  level  higher  than  that  of  the  ridge-poles  of 
the  roofs  of  the  other  parts  of  the  villa  and  from  the  wide 
windows  of  its  rooms  there  was  an  unobstructed  view  over 
the  tiles  of  the  villa  upon  the  farm-buildings  and  beyond 
them  across  the  fields  to  the  woodlands  and  the  forested  east- 
ern and  southern  horizon  as  well  as  a  fine  outlook  down  the 
valley  northward  and  across  it  westward. 

In  this  third  story  of  this  tower  he  housed  his  library 
and  there  he  spent  most  of  his  time.  It  was  reached  by  three 
stairs.  One  was  connected  with  the  villa  in  general  and 
was  used  by  him  when  going  down  to  meals  in  his  triclinium, 
or  when  escorting  visitors  up  to  his  library,  as  he  sometimes 
did  with  his  particular  favorites;  and  this  stair  was  also 
used  by  such  servants  as  he  might  summon  to  him  while  in 
his  library  or  as  might  have  to  go  up  there  to  attend  to  it  in 
his  absence.  The  second  stair  connected  with  his  living- 
rooms  on  the  second  floor,  which  rooms  looked  northwest- 
ward, as  he  detested  being  waked  early  by  the  rays  of  the 
rising  sun  and  loved  basking  in  the  mellow  radiance  of  after- 
noon sunlight.  The  third  stair  is  not  easy  to  describe  and 
was  one  of  my  uncle's  oddest  eccentricities.  It  was  inside 


ESCAPE  161 

a  sort  of  minor  tower  built  against  the  tower  in  which  his 
library  was  set  aloft,  which  minor  tower  extended  far  up 
towards  the  sky,  like  a  great  chimney.  What  was  the  pri- 
mary purpose  of  this  minor  tower  I  shall  explain  later.  In 
it,  however,  was  a  narrow,  cramped,  spiral  stair,  unlit  by  any 
window  or  loop-hole,  unconnected  with  the  second  or  first 
floor  of  the  villa,  opening  at  the  top  into  the  library  and  at 
the  bottom  into  a  cellar,  a  cellar  so  far  down  the  hillside 
that  its  vault  was  below  the  level  of  the  floors  of  the  cellars 
under  the  villa  in  general.  This  stair  my  uncle  had  had 
constructed  to  enable  him  to  apply  his  idea  that  a  master 
could  ensure  the  diligence  of  his  tenants  and  slaves  only  if 
he  was  known  to  be  in  the  habit  of  coming  upon  them  unex- 
pectedly at  any  hour  of  the  day,  only  if  they  never  knew  when 
he  might  appear  and  so  were  spurred  to  continual  diligence 
for  fear  he  might  catch  them  idling.  For  my  uncle,  though 
he  habitually  spent  his  entire  daylight  in  his  library,  might 
at  any  hour  slip  down  this  stair,  slip  out  onto  the  north- 
western slope  from  the  villa  through  a  door  locked  to  all  but 
him  and  of  which  he  kept  the  key,  or  might  slip  out  south- 
eastward or  southwestward  or  northeastward,  through  sim- 
ilar doors  on  the  ground  floor,  reached  by  passages  built  be- 
tween the  many  cellars  of  the  upper  level  of  cellars  under  the 
ground  floor  of  the  villa.  By  this  plan  and  by  popping  out 
sometimes  many  times  a  day,  sometimes  after  an  interval  of 
many  days,  he  kept  his  underlings  alert. 

My  uncle's  tastes  in  respect  to  books  were  as  peculiar  as 
in  all  other  respects.  He  had  a  really  magnificent  library, 
including  all  the  Greek  poets,  all  our  own,  and  other  noble 
works  of  literature,  such  as  the  historians  in  both  the  Greek 
and  Latin  tongues;  the  orators,  and  the  writers  on  painting, 
sculpture,  architecture  and  music. 

But  he  paid  more  attention  to  his  personal  fads.  He  had 
a  creditable  collection  of  all  works  on  divination,  a  similarly 
inclusive  assemblage  of  works  on  the  theory  of  government, 
and  an  almost  complete  array  of  the  writings  of  the  Emperors, 
from  the  Divine  Julius  to  the  Divine  Aurelius,  whose  medita- 
tions he  extolled. 


162  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

But  he  extolled  above  all  other  Princes  and  authors  the 
Divine  Julius. 

"Caius  Julius  Caesar/'  he  was  never  tired  of  saying,  "was, 
in  all  respects,  the  greatest  man  who  ever  lived  on  earth. 
He  was  also  the  greatest  author  earth  has  ever  produced.  His 
poems,  his  mimes,  his  comedies,  his  dramas,  compare  favor- 
ably with  the  best  of  their  kind.  His  accounts  of  his  wars, 
whether  against  the  Gauls  or  against  his  domestic  adversaries, 
are  models  of  narration,  of  lucidity,  of  terseness  and  of  style* 
His  astronomy  is  the  best  manual  of  that  subject  in  Latin. 
His  works  on  Engineering  surpass  anything  of  their  kind  in 
clearness  and  preserve  for  the  benefit  of  future  generations 
more  useful  and  original  ideas  than  ever  before  came  from 
the  brain  of  any  one  man.  His  works  on  divination,  particu- 
larly that  on  Auspices,  excel  everything  previously  written 
on  that  most  important  of  all  human  arts. 

<rBut  his  two  books  against  Cato  are  his  masterpiece.  It 
is  wonderful  that  any  man  could  have,  in  the  space  of  eight 
days,  written,  with  his  own  hand,  so  fiery  an  invective,  so 
compelling  of  the  attention  of  any  reader,  so  completely 
annihilative  of  his  antagonist's  pretensions  and  contentions, 
so  convincingly  establishing  his  own:  to  have  made  of  it,  in 
the  course  of  composition  so  rapid  and  totally  unrevised,  such 
a  jewel  of  Latinity,  in  a  style  not  only  pure  and  impeccable, 
but  glowing  and  charming,  is  astonishing.  But  it  is  down- 
right miraculous  that  he  should  have  embodied  in  it  the 
whole  theory  of  government  with  all  its  principles  marshalled 
in  their  array  with  the  most  perfect  subordination  of  consid- 
erations of  lesser  importance  to  main  principles.  The  two 
Anticatones  contain  all  that  a  ruler  or  any  minister  of  a 
ruler  need  know  to  guide  him  aright  in  his  tasks.  The  First 
Book  displays  a  complete  theory  of  internal  policy,  the  Sec- 
ond of  external  policy.  The  two  together  form  a  whole  which 
is  the  most  brilliant  product  of  Rome's  literary  and  political 
genius." 

In  accordance  with  his  high  esteem  for  Caesar's  master- 
piece he  had  possessed  himself  of  a  beautiful  copy  of  it, 
written  by  the  celebrated  calligrapher  Praxitelides,  upon 


ESCAPE 

papyrus  of  the  finest  quality.  It  was  in  seven  rolls,  each  book 
of  Caesar's  text  occupying  two  rolls,  the  index  a  fifth,  and  the 
commentaries  of  grammarians  two  more.  The  rollers  inside 
the  rolls  were  of  Nubian  ivory,  their  ends  carved  into  pine 
cones,  each  of  the  fourteen  representing  the  cone  of  a  differ- 
ent variety  of  pine.  Each  roll  was  enclosed  in  a  copper 
cylinder  made  accurately  to  be  both  watertight  and  airtight. 
The  seven  cylinders  were  housed  in  an  ebony  case,  inlaid 
with  mother  of  pearl.  I  have  never  seen  any  literary  work 
more  beautifully  enshrined. 

When  Agathemer  and  I  were  in  the  library  he  shut  and 
locked  the  door  at  the  top  of  my  uncle's  private  stair,  as  he 
had  the  door  at  the  bottom  of  it.  The  two  keys  he  hid  far 
apart,  where  neither  was  at  all  likely  to  be  found  easily  or 
soon.  He  had  laid  the  knives,  tinder-boxes  and  bag  of  food 
on  a  table.  He  went  to  the  case  containing  my  uncle's  most 
highly  prized  treasures.  From  it  he  took  the  ebony  box, 
opened  it  and  took  out  two  of  the  cylinders.  From  these  he 
removed  the  rolls  embodying  the  grammarians'  comments. 
These  rolls  he  put  back  in  the  box,  shut  it,  returned  it  to  the 
case  and  closed  the  case. 

The  two  cylinders  he  had  laid  on  the  table  by  the  things 
which  he  had  brought  up  stairs.  Inside  each  cylinder  he 
placed  a  knife,  a  tinder-box,  and  a  selection  of  the  food.  The 
bag,  with  what  remained  of  the  food,  he  tied  up  again.  He 
handed  me  one  cylinder. 

"Now,"  he  said,  "we  are  prepared  to  escape.  My  idea 
is  to  leave  no  trace  of  how  we  leave  this  villa,  to  have  no  one 
see  us  leave,  to  have  nothing  with  us  which  could  identify 
us  after  we  have  left.  We  are  to  go  down  the  secret  stair, 
crawl  out  through  the  big  lower  drain  pipe,  hide  in  the 
bushes  till  dark,  take  to  the  woods,  hide  by  day,  creep  north- 
ward by  night,  and,  if  we  succeed  in  reaching  a  district  where 
no  one  would  recognize  us,  press  on  northward  boldly,  pass- 
ing ourselves  off  as  runaway  slaves  if  anyone  encounters  us." 

"We'd  be  locked  up  as  runaway  slaves,"  I  said,  "advertised, 
sold  to  the  highest  bidder  if  unclaimed  and  henceforth  kept 
in  slavery/' 


164  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"I'm  in  slavery  now,"  said  Agathemer.  "You,  if  kept  in 
slavery,  would  at  least  be  alive  and  in  no  danger  of  being 
recognized." 

"Let  us  go,"  said  I. 

We  looked  at  each  other  and  burst  out  laughing.  We  made 
a  sufficiently  absurd  spectacle,  each  stark  naked,  each  holding 
a  copper  cylinder,  as  we  stood  in  that  elegant  and  luxurious 
room.  According  to  the  fashion  of  the  time,  which  aped  the 
ways  of  the  young  Emperor,  we  wore  our  hair  moderately 
long  and  as  both  had  hair  naturally  curly,  were  perfectly  in 
style  as  to  hair.  Our  beards,  also,  we  wore  clipped  but  not 
shaved,  and  long  enough  to  show  a  tendency  to  curl,  as  the 
Emperor  wore  his. 

Our  laugh  over  I  gave  a  farewell  glance  about  my  little- 
used  library.  It  was  then  about  the  fifth  hour.  Agathemer 
gazing  rather  outside  at  the  landscape  than  inside  at  tho 
room  remained  frozen  stiff,  staring  northward  down  the 
valley. 

"We  are  barely  in  time,"  he  said.  "Mercury  is  with  us 
and  Fortune." 

"Before  I  left  Rome,"  I  said,  "I  prayed  to  Fortune  and 
sacrificed  to  Mercury." 

"Time  well  spent,"  he  said.     "Look  there !" 

Peering  where  he  pointed  I  saw,  where  the  road  was  first 
visible  in  the  distance,  fully  two  miles  away,  a  dozen  or  more 
horsemen,  manifestly,  even  at  that  distance,  of  military  bear- 
ing :  I  caught,  against  the  sunrays,  a  gleam  of  crimson  and  a 
glint  of  gold;  I  conjectured  a  detail  of  Praetorian  Guards 
coming  to  arrest  me  or  to  put  me  out  of  the  way. 

Agathemer  opened  the  upper  door  of  the  secret  stair,  which 
unlike  most  doors,  could  be  locked  on  either  side,  for  my 
uncle  always  wanted  to  lock  the  doors  he  used,  whichever 
way  he  passed  through  them.  After  we  had  passed  this  door 
Agathemer  closed  it  behind  us,  and,  as  we  stood  in  the  pitch 
dark,  locked  it. 

We  groped  our  way  down  the  dizzying  turns  of  the  steep 
stair,  Agathemer  going  first  and,  at  the  bottom,  whacking 
big  knee-cap  on  the  lower  door.  This  he  unlocked  and  I 


ESCAPE  165 

found  myself  in  a  dim-lit  cellar  which  I  had  visited  but  twice 
before.  Agathemer  locked  the  stair-door  behind  us. 

Now  the  minor  tower,  in  which  was  the  spiral  stair,  was 
built  as  a  vent  to  carry  up  into  the  air,  far  above  the  roofs 
of  the  villa,  any  miasma,  effluvium  or  exhalation  from  the 
drainage-water  of  the  villa's  baths,  kitchen  and  latrines.  On 
the  subject  of  harmful  vapours  from  drains  my  uncle  was 
fanatical  and  to  bear  out  his  contentions  he  quoted  from  the 
works  of  many  celebrated  philosophers  and  physicians,  in- 
cluding those  of  Galen. 

Pursuant  with  his  notions  as  to  how  to  get  rid  of  the 
exhalations  from  drainage  and  to  make  certain  that  no  whiff 
of  any  such  vapours  ever  found  its  way  up  any  offset  into 
his  kitchen  or  any  latrine  or  bathroom,  he  had  built  in  this 
small  high  tower  a  shaft  reaching  its  top  and  full  six  feet 
square  all  the  way  up.  At  its  bottom  it  widened  out  into 
a  chamber  fully  twelve  feet  square,  carried  down  below  the 
level  of  the  cellar  floor  to  form  a  cemented  tank,  vat,  cistern 
or  cesspool  fully  as  deep  as  it  was  wide.  The  outfall  from 
this  trap  was  by  a  terra-cotta  pipe  of  considerable  size,  its 
opening  at  such  a  point  that  the  drain-water  in  the  trap 
never  reached  higher  than  a  foot  or  so  below  the  level  of  the 
cellar  floor.  The  various  drainage-pipes  from  different  parts 
of  the  villa  were  so  led  into  this  trap-room  that  their  lower 
ends  were  always  under  water,  so  that  no  exhalations  could 
ever  pass  up  any  of  them. 

To  the  bottom  of  the  trap  settled  the  solid  matter  and  sedi- 
ment from  the  drainage-water.  The  trap  was  cleaned  by 
slaves  so  often  that  the  ooze  in  it  never  rose  high  enough  to 
escape  down  the  outfall  pipe  and  befoul  the  Bran  Brook. 
For  cleaning  out  the  trap-room  had  an  outer  door,  of  heavyf 
solid  oak,  carefully  locked,  which  when  opened  enabled  the 
slaves  entrusted  with  this  task  to  dredge  or  bale  or  scoop  out 
the  filth  and  convey  it  off  to  be  used  as  garden  manure.  There 
was  also  an  inner  door,  as  heavy  and  solid  as  the  other,  open- 
ing from  the  cellar,  which  enabled  my  uncle  to  inspect  the 
trap  at  his  convenience.  This  door  Agathemer  opened. 

I  peered  in  and,  after  my  eyes  became  accustomed  to  the 


166  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

gloom,  descried  the  opening  of  the  outfall  drain  opposite  me. 
It  was  large  enough  for  lean  men  like  me  and  Agathemer  to 
crawl  through,  but  certainly  barely  large  enough.  I  could 
see,  after  some  moments,  the  lower  ends  of  the  drain  pipes, 
two  dozen  or  more,  dipping  into  the  foul  liquid  which  filled 
the  cistern.  It  was  very  foul,  for  since  my  uncle's  death  the 
cleaning  out  of  the  trap  had  been  neglected  and  the  ooze 
came  almost  to  the  top  of  the  water. 

Agathemer  hunted  about  the  cellar,  found  some  bits  of 
stone  about  the  size  of  apples,  put  them  in  the  bag  of  food, 
tied  up  its  neck  again,  and  threw  it  into  the  trap,  where  it 
sank  out  of  sight.  After  it  he  threw  in  the  two  keys. 

Now  was  the  moment  for  our  plunge  into  the  unknown. 
Agathemer's  plan  implied  that  we  must  crawl  a  full  furlong 
through  the  outfall  drain.  We  might  be  drowned,  at  any  point 
of  the  crawl,  by  a  rush  of  water  from  the  bath-tank.  We 
might  suffocate  in  the  foul  vapours  of  the  drain.  But,  plainly, 
Agathemer  had  pitched  upon  our  only  chance  of  escape,  and 
we  must  escape  that  way  and  at  once  or  not  at  all. 

Agathemer  threw  the  two  copper  cylinders,  one  after  the 
other,  neatly  and  deftly  into  the  mouth  of  the  outfall  drain, 

"Now/'  he  said,  "one  of  us  must  jump  for  that  opening, 
and  must  cling  to  it,  his  arms  inside,  his  body  in  the  ooze 
of  the  trap.  The  other  must  stand  on  the  narrow  stone  ledge 
inside  this  door,  must  contrive  to  slam  the  door  behind  him 
so  that  it  will  shut  fast  and  stay  shut,  must  then,  in  the  pitch 
dark,  jump  for  the  shoulders  of  the  other.  If  the  drag  of 
his  weight  pulls  the  other  down,  both  of  us  will  drown  in  this 
deep  trap  in  the  vile  ooze.  If  the  under  man  clings  on,  the 
upper  must  crawl  over  him  into  the  drain,  pass  back  to  him 
one  of  the  cylinders  and  then  we  shall  be  ready  for  our  crawl 
down.  Which  goes  first?" 

"You  choose,"  said  I. 

"Can  you  slam  the  door?"  Agathemer  queried. 

I  considered  the  door,  the  sill,  the  ledge  inside,  the  jambs 
of  the  door,  its  edges;  stood  on  the  ledge,  went  through  the 
motions  and  concluded  that  I  could  slam  the  door  shut  and 


ESCAPE  167 

not  be  knocked  off  into  the  ooze  by  its  impact  or  topple  off 
because  of  the  sill's  narrowness.  I  said  so. 

"Then  I'll  go  first,"  said  Agathemer.  "You  are,  even  yet, 
far  more  impaired  in  strength  by  your  beating  than  I  by  my 
flogging.  If  I  came  second  you  might  not  be  able  to  hold 
on  to  the  opening  of  the  drain.  I  know  I  can  hold  on,  no 
matter  how  much  filth  is  plastered  over  my  head  as  you  crawl 
over  me.  I  should  not  like  the  idea  of  defiling  your  head 
with  filth  in  crawling  over  you.  Jump  so  that  your  clutching 
hands  just  reach  my  shoulders ;  so  that  your  weight  will  come 
on  me  gradually  as  you  sink  into  the  ooze.  Take  your  time 
about  crawling  over  me.  Be  sure  to  pass  back  to  me  one 
cylinder." 

Then  he  drilled  me  as  to  the  signals  he  would  give  me  by 
pinching  my  feet.  When  he  was  sure  we  both  knew  them  he 
grinned  a  wry  grin,  and  made  a  whimsical  boyish  gesture 
with  his  uplifted  right  hand,  took  a  careful  stand  on  the  sill, 
balanced  himself  and  jumped. 

"I'm  all  right,"  he  called  back,  "and  ready  for  you.'* 

Three  times  I  tried  to  slam  that  door  and  failed  to  shut  it. 
The  fourth  time  I  found  myself,  my  back  against  the  shut 
door,  my  toes  sticking  out  over  the  edge  of  the  stone  sill,  bal- 
anced in  the  pitch  dark  on  a  too  narrow  ledge. 

"Lean  back  against  the  door,"  Agathemer  called,  thickly. 
"If  it  gives  it  is  not  shut." 

It  did  not  give. 

I  said  so. 

"Then  no  one  will  ever  know  how  we  got  out,"  said  Agathe- 
mer; adding:  "Jump  when  you  are  ready,  but  say  'now.'" 

I  jumped  and  my  fingers  caught  his  shoulders.  He  held 
on.  My  body  sank  slowly  through  the  ooze,  which  gave  way 
with  a  sickening  sliminess,  until  I  was  in  contact  with 
Agathemer  all  the  way  to  my  toes.  Then  I  began  to  try  to 
crawl  up  over  him.  I  found  it  far  harder  than  either  of  us 
had  anticipated. 

All  slippery  as  we  were  with  the  foul  ooze  it  was  a  fearful 
struggle  for  me  to  scramble  up  over  him,  I  slipped  back  so 


168  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

often.  After  what  seemed  an  hour  of  effort  and  apprehen- 
sion I  had  my  head,  shoulders  and  most  of  my  body  in  the 
drain  and  knew  I  had  succeeded.  I  wriggled  forward  till  I 
felt  my  feet  beyond  the  opening,  then  about  as  far  ahead, 
pushing  before  me  the  cylinders.  When  Agathemer  touched 
my  foot  I  pushed  a  cylinder  past  my  body  and  felt,  with  my 
ankle,  that  he  pulled  it  back. 

After  that,  escape  was  a  matter  of  wriggling  on  down  the 
drain.  And  wriggling  was  not  impossible,  though  excessively 
difficult  and  exhausting.  The  drain  was  nowhere  choked 
with  silt,  but  all  along  was  furred  with  ooze  and  there  was 
more  than  an  inch  of  ooze  along  its  bottom.  In  this,  hitch- 
ing myself  forward  on  my  elbows  by  violent  contortions,  I 
slipped  back  almost  as  much  as  I  heaved  forward. 

Agathemer  seemed  to  have  as  much  trouble  as  I  had  and 
to  find  the  effort  as  exhausting.  For  he  had  instructed  me 
that  I  was  not  to  crawl  forward  until  he  pinched  my  foot. 
One  pinch  was  to  mean  "advance,"  two  pinches  "rest." 
More  than  once  he  had  signalled  me  to  rest. 

Our  worst  moment  came  somewhere  near  half  way  down 
the  sewer.  There  I  encountered  a  cracked  drain-pipe,  the  rag- 
ged edge  of  the  broken  terra-cotta  projecting  into  the  sewer, 
its  point  toward  me.  I  wriggled  my  shoulders  by  it,  though  it 
gouged  my  shoulder-muscle  on  that  side;  but,  at  my  hips, 
it  stuck  into  me  so  that  I  could  not  get  past  it. 

Agathemer,  behind,  kept  pinching  my  foot,  signalling  for 
me  to  go  forward.  I  bellowed  explanations,  but  could  not 
suppose  that  he  could  hear  them  in  that  horrible  tube.  But 
he  either  heard  or  guessed,  he  never  could  be  sure  which. 
Anyhow,  he  felt  that  we  must  get  forward  or  perish.  In 
desperation  he  sunk  his  teeth  into  the  soft  part  of  the 
inner  side  of  the  sole  of  my  left  foot.  The  pain  made  me 
give  a  convulsive  wriggle  and  I  scraped  past  the  obstacle, 
tearing  my  hip  badly  in  getting  clear. 

From  there  on  we  wriggled  frantically  till  I  could  see 
ahead  a  round  patch  of  light  at  the  lower  outfall  of  the 
drain. 

It  seemed  an  age  before  I  reached  the  opening,  but  reach 


ESCAPE  169 

It  I  did.  I  lay  there,  my  head  just  inside,  panting  and 
guzzling  clean  air  in  great  gulping  gasps.  Agathemer 
pinched  my  foot.  I  slipped  out  into  the  oozy  pool  below  the 
outfall,  slid  out  as  quietly  as  I  could  and  kept  myself  sub- 
merged up  to  my  chin,  clutching  my  cylinder  with  one 
hand,  pulling  myself  clear  of  the  drain  and  keeping  my  head 
out  of  the  drainage  by  holding  to  the  stem  of  an  alder  bush 
growing  by  the  brook's  edge. 

I  came  to  rest,  the  sunlight  dazzling  my  eyes,  though  the 
outfall  was  shaded  by  willows  above  the  alders,  and  looked 
for  Agathemer.  He,  his  face  purple,  kept  his  head  inside 
the  sewer  and  I  could  see  him  suck  in  the  clean  air  in  long 
gasps  as  I  had. 

At  that  instant  there  was  a  squawking  above  us  and, 
through  the  alders,  came,  quacking  and  flapping  their  wings, 
a!  hundred  or  more  of  my  uncle's  valued  white  ducks.  Their 
alarm  made  me  peep  through  the  alder  stems.  I  saw,  not 
ten  yards  from  my  face,  the  legs  of  horses,  heard  their  hoofs 
thud  on  the  roadway,  descried  men's  feet  against  their  bellies, 
recognized  the  gilded  edges  of  the  boot-soles,  the  make  of 
the  boots,  the  gilt  scales  on  the  kilt-straps,  the  gilded  breast 
plates,  the  crimson  tunics  and  short-cloaks,  the  gilded 
sword-sheaths  and  helmets.  There,  just  above  us,  was  pass- 
ing the  detachment  of  Praetorian  Guards  sent  to  arrest  OP 
despatch  me. 

They  clanked  by  us,  never  suspecting  our  proximity, 
though  the  ducks  resented  our  presence  in  their  favorite 
pool  and  quacked  at  us  protestingly.  They  continued,  in 
fact,  to  quack  at  us  most  of  the  time  until  sunset,  so  that 
both  of  us  were  in  an  agony  of  dread  for  fear  that  some 
passer-by  might  notice  their  voluble  expressions  of  displeas- 
ure and  might  take  a  notion  to  investigate  to  discover  what 
was  exciting  their  wrath. 

But  no  one  was  attracted  by  the  ducks'  noise  and,  if  any- 
one passed  up  or  down  the  road  we,  where  we  were,  did  not 
know  it. 

We  talked,  at  intervals,  in  whispers.  Agathemer  said  that 
he  had  been  barely  grazed  by  the  broken  drain-pipe  and 


170  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

hardly  noticed  his  scratches.  I,  on  the  other  hand,  was  in 
great  pain  from  the  gouge  along  my  hip,  and  hardly  less 
pained  by  the  tear  in  my  shoulder.  The  water,  under  which 
I  had  to  keep  up  to  my  chin,  dulled  the  pain  of  my  wounds, 
but  chilled  me  till  my  teeth  chattered,  though  the  weather 
was  hot;  so  hot  in  fact,  that  the  sunrays  on  my  head  seemed 
to  scorch  my  hair,  even  through  the  willows  and  alders.  I 
was  devoutly  glad  when  the  sunrays  became  more  slanting 
and  the  daylight  began  to  wane,  and  the  ducks,  still  quacking 
protestingly,  departed. 


CHAPTER  XI 

HIDING 

IT  was  fully  dark  before  we  dared  to  leave  our  hiding-place 
and  attempt  the  risky  venture  of  essaying  to  reach  a  safer 
shelter  or  refuge  in  the  forests  without  attracting  the  atten- 
tion of  any  dog  at  any  of  the  several  farmsteads  which  we 
must  pass. 

Agathemer  led  and  I  followed,  my  teeth  chattering  and 
the  night  insects  biting  me  severely.  Hugging  our  precious 
copper  cylinders  we  waded  more  than  waistdeep  in  the  water, 
up  the  Bran  Brook,  sometimes  all  but  swimming,  as  we 
skirted  some  of  the  deeper  pools.  There  was  no  moon  and 
we  could  see  but  little  by  the  faint  starlight.  We  had  to  go 
slowly,  as  we  could  not  swim  and  keep  hold  of  our  cylinders ; 
and  must  not  risk  losing  one  if  Agathemer  went  over  his 
head  in  a  deep  pool.  It  seemed  to  me  that  we  had  been 
threading  the  curves  of  the  brook  for  at  least  two  hours 
when  I  began  to  feel  as  if  something  were  wrong.  Even  in 
the  dark  I  had  been  aware  of  a  sort  of  recognition  of  each 
pool,  shallow,  riffle,  bend,  bank  or  what  not  Now,  gradu- 
ally, it  came  over  me  that  I  was  among  surroundings  as 
unfamiliar  as  if  I  had  not  been  in  Sabinum,  or  even  in 
Italy. 

I  caught  Agathemer  by  the  arm. 


HIDING  171 

"Where  are  we?"  I  whispered. 

"Don't  talk  I"  he  warned. 

But  I  insisted ;  for,  as  we  were  by  now  no  more  than  knee- 
deep  in  the  water,  I  knew  we  must  be  well  up  towards  the 
headwaters  and  it  came  over  me  that  we  had  not  turned  off 
anywhere  as  sharply  as  we  should  had  we  turned  up  either 
the  Chaff  or  the  Flour. 

"Are  we  going  up  the  Bran?"  I  queried. 

"Precisely!"  Agathemer  breathed. 

I  almost  spoke  out  loud. 

"This,"  I  said,  "is  the  last  place  on  earth  I'd  expect  you 
to  guide  me  to." 

"Precisely,"  he  repeated,  "and  it's  the  last  place  on  earth 
anybody  else  would  expect  me  to  lead  you  to  or  you  to  be  in, 
by  any  chance;  therefore  it's  the  last  place  in  Italy  where 
any  one  will  look  for  you ;  therefore  it  is,  just  now,  the  safest 
place  in  Italy  for  you.  Come  on,  I  know  every  stone  of 
this  brook." 

I  followed  him.  His  logic  was  good,  but,  on  Dueconius 
Furfur's  land  I  felt  hopelessly  lost  and  overwhelmed  by  de- 
spair. 

We  had  not  gone  far  from  where  I  had  forced  Agathemer 
to  reveal  his  ruse,  when  he  turned  round  and  whispered: 

"This  is  the  place.  Here  we  leave  the  water.  Follow 
me." 

I  was  dimly  aware  of  a  blacker  blackness  before  us,  as 
of  a  big,  tall  rock.  This  we  skirted  and  then  stepped  out 
of  the  brook  towards  the  left.  There  we  stepped  into  deep 
drifts  of  dead  leaves. 

"Here  is  bedding,"  said  Agathemer,  "such  as  Ulysses  was 
content  with  after  his  long  sea-swim  to  the  island  of  the 
Phaeacians.  Perhaps  we  can  get  along  in  such  bedding." 

Naked  as  we  were  we  burrowed  into  the  dead  leaves,  and, 
after  a  bit  I  felt  less  chilly,  though  by  no  means  warm. 

Agathemer  took  from  me  the  cylinder  I  had  been  carry- 
ing; opened  one  of  the  two,  a  matter  of  some  difficulty,  as 
the  top  was  so  tight;  sniffed  at  it,  and  took  from  it  some 
morsels  of  food:  a  bit  of  cold  ham,  a  bit  of  cold  fowl  and  a 


172  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

bit  of  bread.  These  I  ate,  chewing  them  slowly.  At  the 
same  time  he  ate,  as  slowly,  an  equal  share. 

After  eating  we  tried  to  sleep.  I  was  too  weary  and  drowsy 
to  keep  awake,  and  too  cold  and  too  much  in  pain  from  the 
scratch  on  my  shoulder  and  the  gouge  on  my  hip  to  be  able 
to  sleep  long.  I  got  some  sleep  before  dawn,  but  not  much. 

Fortunately  for  us  the  night  had  been  clear,  warm  and 
windless.  Even  so  we  suffered  severely  with  the  cold;  since 
the  chilled  air,  of  course,  rolled  down  the  hillsides  into  the 
hollow  along  the  bed  of  the  brook,  till  the  valley  was  filled 
with  thick  mist  and  every  leaf  and  twig  dripped  with  mois- 
ture. Through  the  mist  the  dawn  broke  pearly  gray  at  first 
and  then  iridescent;  and,  when  the  first  sunrays  penetrated 
the  white  haze  and  gilded  every  leaf-edge,  turning  the  tree- 
tops  to  gold  and  making  every  waterdrop  a  diamond,  no 
lovelier  morning  could  be  imagined. 

The  trees  about  and  above  us  were  mostly  beeches,  with 
many  chestnuts  and  a  few  plane-trees  and  poplars.  We  were 
in  a  clump  of  willows  with  thick  alders  under  them,  so  that, 
even  with  no  other  protection,  we  could  not  have  been  seen 
from  any  distance.  And  we  were  most  excellently  protected, 
being  on  a  little  island  where  the  brook  forked  and  flowea, 
three  or  four  yards  wide  and  nearly  a  yard  deep,  round  a  huge 
gray  rock,  fully  fifteen  yards  across  and  nearly  seven  yards 
high,  a  bulge  of  worn  stone,  shaped  much  like  half  a  melon 
and  almost  as  symmetrical.  And,  as  one  might  lay  half  a 
melon,  curve  up,  and  then  split  it  with  one  blow  of  a  kitchen- 
knife,  so  this  great  rock,  as  if  cleft  by  a  single  sweep  of  a 
Titan's  sword,  was  rent  in  half  and  the  halves  left  about 
four  yards  apart.  The  fracture  was  clean  and  smooth,  ex- 
cept that  a  piece  about  two  yards  square  had  cracked  loose 
at  the  ground  level  from  the  southern  half  and  lay  bedded  in 
the  mud,  its  top  a  foot  or  so  above  the  earth,  leaving  in  the 
face  of  one  rock  a  rectangular  niche  about  a  man's  length 
each  way,  in  which  cavity  two  men  could  shelter  from  the 
rain. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see  I  was  for  crawling 
into  this  little  cavern.  But  Agathemer  restrained  me. 


HIDING  173 

"The  face  of  the  rock/'  he  said,  "would  feel  cold  as  ice  to 
your  skin.  You  have,  even  if  you  do  not  realize  it,  somewhat 
warmed  the  leaves  next  you.  For  the  present  we  are  least 
uncomfortable  where  we  are.  The  dawn-wind  cannot  get 
at  our  hides  while  we  are  under  these  leaves.  Keep  still/' 

He  kept  himself  as  much  as  possible  under  the  leaves  hut 
wriggled  nearer  the  altar-shaped  bit  of  rock.  Half -sitting, 
half  crouching  by  it,  little  besides  his  head  out  of  the  heap 
of  leaves  in  which  he  was,  he  opened  both  cylinders  and 
laid  out  on  the  top  of  the  stone  what  food  was  in  them. 
This  he  divided  into  six  equal  portions,  two  he  put  back 
in  each  cylinder.  We  munched  interminably,  making  every 
morsel  last  as  long  as  possible. 

The  food  revived  me,  and  even  before  the  dawn-wind  had 
died,  the  rays  of  the  sun  began  to  make  themselves  felt.  I 
began  to  be  restless;  Agathemer  again  checked  me. 

"Keep  still,"  he  commanded.  "As  soon  as  the  sun  has 
dried  the  dew  off  the  leaves  I  can  make  you  more  comfort- 
able. Just  now  we  are  best  as  we  are." 

I  kept  under  the  leaves,  but  I  peered  about.  At  each  end 
of  the  cleft  between  the  two  halves  of  the  rock  I  could  see 
the  brook  brawling  by  among  the  worn  stones.  The  line  of 
the  cleft  was  directly  across  the  bed  of  the  brook;  and,  along 
the  cleft,  past  the  detached,  almost  buried,  altar-shaped  stone, 
I  descried,  barely  discernible  but  unmistakable,  such  a  path 
as  is  made  by  the  bare  or  sandalled  feet  of  even  one  human 
being  following  daily  the  same  track.  I  conned  it.  I 
judged  that  it  was  many,  many  decades  old  and  had  been 
trodden  daily  for  a  lifetime  or  so,  but  that  it  had  been  totally 
disused  for  at  least  a  year  and  possibly  for  more. 

I  pointed  it  out  to  Agathemer  and  asked  him  about  it. 

"That/'  he  said,  "is  part  of  what  used  to  be  the  shorter 
and  more  used  of  the  two  paths  from  Furfur's  villa  to 
Philargyrus's  farmstead.  Naturally,  since  the  Philargyrus 
farm  has  been  detached  from  Furfur's  estate  and  has  become 
part  of  yours,  there  must  be  very  little  intercommunication 
between  the  farm  and  the  villa  and  I  judged  that  any  slave 
going  from  one  to  the  other  would  avoid  the  more  obvious 


174.  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

path  and  sneak  round  the  longer  way.  Therefore  I  judged 
it  safer  to  locate  here,  as  this  path  is  probably  totally  un- 
used." 

"How  did  you  know  of  it?"  I  queried. 

Up  to  his  neck  in  leaves,  arms  under  too,  only  his  head 
out,  Agathemer  blushed  all  over  his  handsome  face. 

"Before  Andivius  won  the  suit,"  he  said,  "while  Philar- 
gyrus  was  still  Furfur's  tenant,  I  had  an  impassioned  love- 
affair  with  one  of  Furfur's  slave-girls.  We  used  to  meet  here, 
at  first  on  moonlit  nights,  and,  later,  when  we  each  knew 
every  inch  of  our  way  here  and  home  again,  more  often 
on  moonless  nights.  I  always  waded  up  and  down  the  bed 
of  the  brook,  so  as  to  leave  no  scent  for  any  dog  to  follow. 
I  know  this  nook  well  and  thought  of  it  the  instant  I  began 
to  plan  an  escape  for  you." 

I  said  nothing. 

"It  is  barely  possible,"  he  said,  "that  some  one  may  use 
this  path,  even  if  no  one  has  passed  along  it  for  months. 
That  is  just  the  way  luck  turns  out.  I  mean  to  be  invisible 
if  anyone  does  come.  There  was  no  likelihood  of  anyone 
coming  by  at  dawn,  and  no  possibility  of  doing  anything 
if  anyone  did  come.  Now  it  is  warm  enough  for  me  to  pick 
off  the  outer  layer  of  dew-wet  leaves  from  whatever  heaps  of 
dead  leaves  are  hereabouts.  I  can  gather  the  dry  leaves  into 
that  little  grotto.  We  can  lie  on  a  bed  of  them,  wrapped  up 
in  them  we  can  cower  under  them,  we  can  even  pull  our 
heads  under  and  be  invisible  if  we  hear  footsteps  approaching. 
You  keep  still." 

He  then  stood  up  and  went  off.  After  a  time  he  returned 
with  a  great  armful  of  leaves,  which  he  threw  into  the 
niche.  After  many  trips  he  had  the  niche  almost  full  of 
fairly  dry  dead  leaves.  By  this  time  the  warmth  of  the 
sun  was  making  itself  felt  and  I  stood  up  and  stretched 
myself.  I  did  not  feel  weak,  but  my  shoulder  and  hip,  where 
the  drain-pipe  had  torn  me,  and  the  sole  of  my  foot,  where 
Agathemer  had  bitten  me,  were  decidedly  painful.  Agathe- 
mer, solicitously,  steadied  me  on  my  feet  and  led  me  to 
the  streamside.  There  I  seated  myself  on  a  convenient 


HIDING  175 

rock  and  he  bathed  my  foot,  hip  and  shoulder.  There  was 
no  sign  of  puffiness  or  heat  in  any  of  the  three  wounds,  but 
all  three  were  raw  and  sore.  We  had  nothing  with  which 
to  dress  them  and  Agathemer  merely  dried  them  as  well  as 
he  could  by  patting  them. 

Meanwhile,  even  in  my  misery  and  despair,  even  hungry, 
weak  and  cold  and  in  pain  as  I  was,  I  could  not  but  feel  a 
gleam  of  pleasure  at  the  enchanting  beauty  of  the  woodland 
scene  about  our  hiding  place.  I  gazed  up  at  the  bits  of  blue 
sky  between  the  sunlit  boughs,  at  the  canopy  of  green,  at  the 
tenderer  green  of  the  underwood,  at  the  carpet  of  grass, 
ferns,  sedges  and  flowering  plants  which  hid  the  earth  and  I 
almost  rejoiced  at  its  loveliness. 

Agathemer  led  me  back  to  our  retreat  and  ensconced  me 
in  the  nook  of  rock,  on  a  soft  deep  bed  of  dry  dead  leaves, 
under  a  coverlet  of  more.  Into  the  heaps  he  burrowed.  The 
warmth  of  his  naked  body  warmed  me  a  trifle.  There  we  lay 
still  till  dark.  I  slept,  I  think,  from  about  noon  till  after 
sunset. 

While  we  could  still  see,  Agathemer,  making  me  keep  flat 
as  I  was,  wriggled  out  of  the  leaves  and  pushed  them  aside 
from  my  head  and  face.  We  then  ate  half  our  remaining 
food.  As  it  grew  dark  Agathemer  expounded  to  me  his 
plans. 

"Last  night,"  he  said,  "there  was  no  sense  in  doing  any- 
thing. Hiding  and  keeping  out  of  sight  was  the  best  thing 
we  could  do.  But  tonight  I  must  try  to  steal  what  we  need 
most.  The  risk  must  be  taken.  If  I  do  not  return  you  will 
know  I  have  done  my  best.  But  I  feel  confident  of  return- 
ing before  midnight.  I  know  every  farmstead  on  Furfur's 
estate  and  all  the  dogs  know  me.  On  your  estate  I  not  only 
know  the  dogs,  but  I  have  just  finished  an  inspection  and  I 
know  the  location  of  every  dairy,  smoke-house,  larder  and 
oven,  I  might  almost  say  of  every  loaf,  cheese,  ham,  flitch, 
wine-vat  and  oil-jar  on  the  estate,  not  to  mention  every 
store-room  where  I  might  get  us  hats,  tunics,  sandals,  quilts 
and  what  not. 

"If  I  cannot  do  it  otherwise,  as  a  last  resort  I'll  wake 


176  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Uturia  and  tell  her  of  our  situation;  she  will  help  and  will 
be  secret.  But  I'll  not  resort  to  her  if  I  can  help  it.  Her 
most  willing  secrecy  will  not  be  as  safe  as  her  ignorance 
of  our  fate.  No  torture  could  surmount  that." 

I  wanted  to  say  "Farewell,"  but  restrained  myself  and 
uttered  a  not  too  gloomy: 

"Good  luck  and  a  prosperous  return!" 

After  that,  I  lay  and  quaked  till  long  past  midnight. 
Then,  I  seemed  to  hear  sounds  which  I  could  but  interpret 
as  heralding  Agathemer's  approach.  In  fact  he  soon  spoke 
to  me  from  close  by  and  I  heard  the  unmistakable  blurred 
noise  made  by  a  soft  and  yet  heavy  pack  deposited  on  the 
ground  by  my  bed  of  leaves. 

"Pve  nearly  everything  I  wanted,"  said  Agathemer. 
"Keep  still  while  I  untie  the  quilt  I  carried  it  all  in,  and 
find  things  in  the  dark." 

Presently  he  said: 

"Stand  up,  and  I'll  try  to  dress  you." 

In  the  dark  his  hand  found  my  hand  and  he  guided  me 
so  that  I  extricated  myself  from  the  heap  of  leaves  without 
hitting  my  head  on  the  jutting  roof  of  rock  and  without  slip- 
ping on  the  wet  earth  or  stumbling  from  weakness. 

In  the  dark  he  slipped  over  my  head  a  coarse,  patched 
tunic.  (I  could  feel  against  my  skin  the  rude  stitching  of 
the  patches.)  Then  he  wrapped  about  me  a  coarse  cloak, 
also  much  patched. 

"Now,"  he  said,  "stand  where  you  are  till  I  make  some  sort 
of  a  bed  for  you." 

He  fumbled  about  in  the  dark,  grunting  and  making,  I 
thought,  too  much  rustling  in  the  leaves.  Presently  he  said : 

"Pve  laid  a  doubled  quilt  on  the  leaves  and  packed  them 
down.  Give  me  your  hand  and  I'll  arrange  you  on  it.  Then 
I'll  cover  you  with  another  quilt." 

He  did,  deftly  and  solicitously. 

I  began  to  feel  warm  for  the  first  time  since  I  had  sunk 
into  the  ooze  of  the  drain-trap. 

Agathemer  fumbled  about  in  the  dark  for  a  while  and  then 


HIDING  177 

came  near  again  and  felt  me,  making  sure  where  my  head 
was.  He  made  me  sit  up. 

"Smell  that!"  he  said,  "and  catch  hold  of  it." 

I  smelt  ewe's-milk  cheese  and  my  fingers  closed  on  a  gen- 
erous piece  of  it.  Then  he  put  into  my  other  hand  a  big 
chunk  of  bread,  not  yet  entirely  cold. 

I  bit  the  bread.  It  was  Ofatulena's  unsurpassable  farm 
bread,  half  wheat  flour  and  half  barley  flour  and  at  that 
more  appetizing  and  flavorsome  than  any  wheat-bread  I  ever 
tasted. 

"There  is  plenty  for  both  of  us,"  Agathemer  said,  "eat  all 
you  want,  but  eat  slow  and  be  careful  not  to  bolt  a  morsel." 

He  sat  down  by  me  and  we  munched  in  silence. 

By  and  by  he  asked: 

"Do  you  want  any  more  ?" 

"No,"  I  answered,  "you  judged  my  capacity  pretty  well. 
I  am  filled  up." 

"Don't  lie  down,"  he  said,  "I  have  a  small  kid-skin  of 
•wine." 

We  laughed  a  good  deal  before  he  made  sure  precisely 
where  my  mouth  was  and  put  into  it  the  reed  which  projected 
from  one  leg  of  the  kid-skin.  I  drank  in  abundance  of  a 
thin,  sour  wine,  such  as  we  kept  for  the  slaves.  It  gave  me 
new  life. 

After  that  draught  of  wine  I  composed  myself  to  sleep  and 
went  to  sleep  at  once.  I  knew  nothing  of  Agathemer's  do- 
ings after  that  and  did  not  feel  him  when  he  lay  down  by  me. 
I  slept  till  broad  daylight. 

When  I  waked  Agathemer  gave  me  a  moderate  draught  of 
wine  and  all  the  bread  and  cheese  I  chose  to  eat :  also  a  hand- 
ful of  olives.  Then  he  displayed  the  total  of  his  plunder: 
hats,  with  brims  neither  too  broad  nor  too  narrow,  the  best 
pattern  if  one  was  to  have  only  one  hat,  worn  and  battered 
enough  to  suit  us  as  being  inconspicuous,  yet  nowhere  torn, 
broken  or  slit;  a  tunic  and  cloak  apiece,  about  the  oldest 
and  most  patched  in  my  villa-farm  storage-loft,  such  as 
Ofatulena  would  hand  out  to  newly  bought  and  untried 


178  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO  < 

slaves;  three  quilts,  as  bad  as  the  cloaks  and  tunics,  yet, 
like  them,  fairly  serviceable  and  far  from  worn  out;  the 
kid-skin  of  wine,  a  whole  loaf  of  bread  and  the  remains  of 
the  one  we  had  been  eating,  what  was  left  of  a  cheese  and 
another  whole;  a  little,  tall,  narrow  jar  of  olive  oil;  a  small 
bag  of  olives;  a  tiny  box  full  of  salt,  the  box  of  beechwood 
and  about  the  size  of  a  man's  three  fingers;  a  whetstone,  a 
pair  of  rusty  scissors;  two  small  beechwood  cups;  a  little 
copper  dipper ;  some  rags,  old  and  worn,  but  perfectly  clean ; 
and  a  flageolet! 

"In  the  name  of  Dionysius!"  I  cried  laughing,  "why  the 
flageolet  ?" 

Agathemer  laughed  also. 

"My  hand,"  he  said,  "came  on  it  in  the  dark  while  feeling 
for  the  scissors.  I  could  not  resist  bringing  it.  It  is  small, 
it  weighs  little,  it  will  not  add  to  our  burdens  and,  once 
far  away  from  here,  I  can  play  on  it  when  we  are  lonely  and 
so  cheer  us  up." 

"You  appear,"  I  said,  "to  have  been  able  to  help  your- 
self as  you  pleased." 

"No  more  trouble,"  said  he,  "than  if  I  had  walked  out 
of  the  villa  night  before  last  and  poked  about  the  out- 
buildings to  see  whether  everything  was  as  when  I  inspected 
them  by  day ;  only  three  dogs  barked,  and  they  quieted  down 
almost  immediately.  I  am  sure  I  roused  no  one  and  am 
ready  to  wager  that  every  slave  was  as  sound  asleep  as  if  I 
had  not  been  there." 

I  lazily  readjusted  myself  on  my  quilt  and  leaf  mattress, 
tucking  my  quilt  close  about  me.  The  morning  was  still, 
warm  and  cloudy,  not  a  ray  of  sunshine  visible,  even  for  a 
moment,  since  sunset  the  night  before. 

"Time  to  dress  your  wounds !"  said  Agathemer. 

He  brought  from  the  brook  a  cupful  of  water,  and,  with 
the  smallest  of  the  rags,  solicitously  bathed  the  gouge  on 
my  hip.  He  pronounced  it  healing  healthily.  He  then 
anointed  it  with  olive  oil.  The  bathing  and  anointing  com- 
forted me  greatly.  Then  he  similarly  treated  my  shoulder 
and  foot.  When  I  was  composed  and  covered  he  said : 


HIDING  179 

"Now  for  the  scissors!"  and  he  sharpened  them  on  his 
whetstone  until  he  felt  satisfied  that  he  could  get  them  no 
sharper,  then  he  clipped  my  hair  and  beard,  as  closely  as 
those  scissors  could.  Then  I  sat  up  and  clipped  him,  awk- 
wardly and  unevenly,  but  effectively. 

Hardly  were  we  shorn  when  drops  of  rain  began  to  patter 
on  the  leaves  above  us.  Agathemer  wrapped  his  bread  in 
the  rags,  put  it  between  the  two  hats  and  tucked  it  under 
the  leaves  in  one  inner  corner  of  the  little  grotto;  bestowed 
the  other  things  on  it,  or  by  it  or  in  the  other  corner;  and 
then  lay  down  by  me  and  pulled  his  quilt  over  him,  then 
managing  to  cover  both  of  us  with  leaves  so  that  no  trace 
of  our  presence  would  be  visible  to  any  passer-by,  yet  we  could 
breathe  comfortably  behind  or  under  our  screen  of  leaves. 

It  rained  all  day,  a  sluggish  drizzle,  soaking  the  earth, 
but  not  accumulating  enough  water  on  it  to  produce  visible 
trickles  flowing  on  the  surface.  The  air  was  perfectly  wind- 
less, so  that  no  rain  blew  in  on  us  as  we  lay;  we  were  damp, 
but  not  wet. 

Before  dusk  the  rain  ceased  and  a  brisk,  warm  wind  shook 
the  drops  from  the  trees.  We  ate  and  Agathemer  declared 
his  intention  of  going  on  another  raid  about  an  hour  after 
dark. 

"What  are  you  after  this  time?"  I  queried. 

"More  food,"  he  said,  "all  I  dare  steal.  I  must  not  steal 
too  much  from  any  one  place.  I'll  wager  my  pilferings  of 
last  night  will  pass,  not  merely  unheeded,  but  entirely  un- 
noticed. Ofatulena  herself  is  so  scatter-brained  that  she  will 
never  be  sure  that  two  loaves  vanished  from  her  oven ;  I  doubt 
if  she  will  so  much  as  suspect  any  loss.  But  I  cannot  repeat 
that  depletion  of  her  baking  tonight;  she  might  talk.  She 
is  not  quick-witted  enough  to  conjecture  the  truth,  if  she 
did  her  utter  loyalty  would  keep  her  mute;  she'd  impute  the 
theft  to  some  slave  and  likely  as  not  have  an  investigation 
and  advertise  her  loss.  If  there  happened  to  be  a  crafty  in- 
spector with  the  Praetorians  and  if  they  have  lingered,  they 
might  suspect  the  truth,  beat  the  woods  for  us  and  capture 
us.  So  I  must  take  a  little  here  and  a  little  there. 


180  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"Then  I  want  another  quilt  for  myself,  and  shoes  for  both 
of  us.  Is  there  anything  else  you  can  think  of?" 

"Manifestly !"  I  said,  "we  need  a  slave-scourge,  a  branding- 
iron  with  the  long  F  for  'runaway',*  a  brazier  big  enough 
to  heat  the  branding  iron  and  enough  charcoal  to  fire  it 
once." 

"What,  in  the  name  of  Mercury/'  he  whispered  amazedly, 
"do  you  want  of  a  branding-iron  and  a  scourge?" 

"We  are  to  pass  as  runaway  slaves,  if  caught,  according 
to  your  outline  of  a  plan,"  I  said,  "we  had  best  do  all  we  can 
to  be  sure  of  being  thought  ordinary  runaway  slaves.  Few 
slaves  travel  far  from  their  owners'  land  when  they  first- 
venture  to  run  away.  We  should  be  branded,  to  seem  old 
offenders. 

"As  for  you,  thanks  to  Nemestronia,  your  back  is  all  it 
should  be  to  help  play  the  part  we  intend.  My  back  has  no 
scars.  You  must  scourge  me  till  I  have  as  many  as  you." 

In  the  late  dusk,  inside  that  grotto,  under  the  dead  leaves, 
I  could  see  the  horror  on  his  face. 

"I  scourge  you  I"  he  cried  aloud. 

"Hush!"  I  admonished  him.  "Scourged  I  must  be,  if  I 
am  to  hope  to  escape  Caesar's  agents  as  you  have  cleverly 
conceived  that  I  might.  Steal  a  scourge  and  a  branding- 
iron  tonight,  and  let  us  be  ready  for  the  road  as  soon  as 
may  be ;  we  cannot  set  out  northwards  till  my  back  is  healed 
and  the  brands  on  both  of  us,  too." 

.  We  wrangled  and  argued  till  it  was  past  time  for  him 
to  start  on  his  expedition.  I  finally  declared  that,  unless 
he  fetched  a  scourge  and  a  branding-iron,  I  would,  at  day- 
break, walk  back  to  my  villa  and  give  myself  up  to  the  au- 
thorities. At  that  he  consented. 

I  went  to  sleep  soon  after  he  was  gone  and  never  woke  till 
daylight. 

I  woke  from  a  troubled  sleep,  haunted  by  nightmare 
.dreams,  woke  aware  of  a  general  discomfort,  misery  and  hor- 
ror, and  of  acute  pain  in  my  wounds.  I  seemed  to  have  a 

*  Fugitivus.    The  short  F  stood  for  fur,  "thief." 


HIDING  181 

good  appetite  and  ate  with  relish;  but,  hardly  had  I  ceased 
eating,  when  I  appeared  definitely  feverish  and  the  pain  in 
my  foot  became  unbearable. 

I  told  Agathemer  how  I  felt  and  he  examined  my  wounds. 
All  three  were  puffy,  red,  even  purplish,  and  with  pus  at  the 
edges.  It  was  then  and  has  always  been  since  a  puzzle  to 
both  of  us  why  wounds,  seemingly  healing  naturally  when 
unwashed  and  undressed,  should  inflame  and  fester  after 
careful  washing  and  dressing. 

My  fever  was  not  high,  but  enough  to  make  me  fretful 
and  irritable.  The  day  was  very  hot  and  still.  I  made 
Agathemer  show  me  what  spoil  he  had  brought  and  at  once 
ordered  him  to  light  the  charcoal  brazier,  heat  the  iron  and 
brand  me.  He  demurred. 

"If  you  feel  feverish,"  he  said,  "the  pain  of  the  branding 
will  double  your  fever  and,  if  you  have  three  inflamed 
wounds,  the  brand  will  fester  to  a  certainty.  You'll  prob- 
ably die  of  it,  if  I  brand  you." 

"As  well  die  one  way  as  another,'*  I  said.  "If  we  stay 
here  we  are  certain  to  be  discovered  sooner  or  later.  Our 
only  hope  is  to  get  away  as  soon  as  may  be.  That  cannot  be 
until  my  back  and  both  brands  heal  enough  for  us  to  tramp 
northward.  Your  back  is  healed,  so  your  brand  will  heal 
promptly.  I  have  to  get  over  these  wounds  and  the  branding 
and  scourging  too.  We  must  be  quick." 

He  argued,  but  I  was  half  delirious  and  wholly  unreason- 
able. I  again  threatened  to  go  straight  to  the  villa  and  give 
myself  up  unless  I  had  my  way. 

Agathemer,  distraught  and  aghast,  yielded.  I  argued  that 
in  the  early  haze,  the  little  trifle  of  smoke  from  the  charcoal 
could  not  attract  notice.  He  complied.  He  had  trouble  get- 
ting a  light  from  his  flint  and  steel,  but  he  succeeded,  and, 
when  the  charcoal  caught,  set  the  little  brazier  close  to  our 
nook  and  fanned  it  with  a  leafy  bough  to  disperse  the  smoke. 
When  no  further  trace  of  smoke  appeared  and  the  charcoal 
glowed  evenly,  he  put  the  iron  to  heat. 

When  it  was  hot  enough  he  suggested,  again,  that  we  put 
off  branding  me  till  next  day,  and  that  he  brand  only  him- 


182  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

self.     I  insisted  on  his  branding  me  and  branding  me  first. 

To  my  amazement,  when  he  had  bared  my  shoulder,  set 
me  in  position,  and  snatched  the  iron  from  the  brazier,  I 
shrank  back  with  a  sort  of  weak  scream. 

Agathemer  instantly  replaced  the  iron  in  the  brazier  and 
turned,  staring  at  me  in  silence. 

Instantly  I  had  a  revulsion  of  resolution,  of  obstinacy, 
of  delirious  rage.  I  reviled  him.  I  commanded,  I  threat- 
ened. 

Coolly  he  bared  his  left  shoulder,  knelt  by  the  brazier  and 
made  as  if  to  brand  himself. 

"You  can't  do  it,"  I  protested,  "you'll  scar  yourself  to  no 
purpose  and  anyone  will  know  the  mark  is  not  a  brand. 
Fetch  the  iron  here  and  hand  it  to  me." 

He  did,  deftly.  Without  a  wince  or  squeak  he,  kneeling 
and  leaning,  held  his  shoulder  to  the  white-hot  iron.  I 
could  not  have  done  better  if  I  had  been  well  and  standing, 
instead  of  delirious  and  sitting,  wrapped  in  a  quilt,  in  a  bed 
of  dried  leaves.  I  set  the  iron  fair  on  the  muscle  of  his 
shoulder,  held  it  there  just  the  brief  instant  required  for 
branding  without  injury  and  snatched  it  away  without  any 
drag  sideways. 

After  witnessing  the  stoical  heroism  of  my  slave  I  could 
not  but  insist  on  his  branding  me  and  was  exalted  to  the 
point  of  nerve-tension  at  which  I  bit  in  my  half-uttered 
scream  as  the  heat  seared  my  flesh.  Agathemer  dressed  each 
brand  with  an  oil-soaked  rag  and  we  composed  ourselves 
to  hide  until  dark. 


CHAPTER  XII 

SUCCOUR 

AS  on  the  days  before,  no  one  passed  us  and,  indeed,  as 
far  as  I  could  judge,  no  living  thing  came  near  us, 
except  a  hare  or  two.     We  kept  close  under  our  heap  of 
leaves,  inside  our  niche  of  rock.    But  this  time  I  did  not 


SUCCOUR  183 

snuggle  inside  my  cloak  and  quilt;  I  cast  off,  first  the  quilt, 
then  the  cloak,  and  lay  in  my  tunic  only,  panting  and  gasping. 
For  it  was  a  very  hot,  still  day,  and  my  fever  increased, 
increased  so  much,  in  fact,  that  I  could  stomach  but  little 
food  at  dusk  and  took  but  little  interest  in  anything;  in  my 
condition,  in  Agathemer's  brand,  in  his  departure. 

His  return,  late  at  night,  was  to  me  only  one  incident  of 
a  sort  of  continuous  nightmare:  I  was  half  asleep,  wholly 
delirious  and  every  impression  was  as  the  half-delusion  of 
a  half -waking  dream.  I  was  barely  half -conscious,  yet  I  had 
sense  enough  to  lie  still,  except  for  writhing  and  turning 
over,  and  to  restrain  myself  from  singing  or  screaming. 

At  dawn  I  ate  even  less  than  at  dusk,  but  I  did  eat  some- 
thing. Eating  roused  me  enough  for  me  to  insist  on  Agathe- 
mer's  stripping  me  and  scourging  me.  He  felt  my  forehead, 
my  wrists  and  my  feet,  and  shook  his  head. 

"You  have  a  terrific  fever/'  he  said,  "and  four  festering 
wounds,  for  the  brand-mark  is  festering  already;  you  are  in 
danger  of  death  anyhow  as  it  is;  you  will  never  recover  from 
a  scourging." 

I,  with  all  a  delirious  man's  unreasoning,  insisted  and 
again  threatened  to  give  myself  up. 

The  sun  was  about  two  hours  high,  gilding  the  treetops 
and  sending  shafts  of  golden  light  through  the  still  wet 
foliage.  One  such  shaft  of  sunshine  shot  between  the  two 
halves  of  the  great  rock  that  sheltered  us  and  fell  on  the 
table-topped  fragment  of  stone,  like  a  nearly  buried  altar, 
which  lay  midway  of  them. 

Writhing  and  groaning  I  slipped  out  of  my  quilt,  cloak 
and  tunic,  and,  groaning,  I  crawled  to  the  flat-topped  stone. 
Face  down  on  it  I  lay,  my  chest  against  it,  my  knees  on  the 
ground,  my  arms  outstretched,  my  fingers  gripping  the  far 
edge  of  the  altar-stone. 

So  placed  I  bade  Agathemer  lay  on  with  the  scourge. 

"Flay  me!"  I  ordered.  "I  should  be  torn  raw  from  neck 
to  hips.  The  worse  I  am  scored  and  ripped  the  more  pro- 
tection the  scars  will  be.  Lay  on  furiously.  If  I  faint, 
finish  the  job  before  you  revive  me." 


184?  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

He  began  lashing  me,  but  hesitatingly;  I  reviled  him  for 
a  coward;  but  the  pain,  even  of  the  first  strokes,  was  too 
much  for  me.  I  could  feel  the  sweat  on  my  forehead,  my 
finger  nails  dug  into  the  sides  of  the  stone,  its  sharp  edge 
cut  into  the  soft  inside  of  my  clutching  fingers,  I  bit  my 
tongue  to  keep  from  shrieking,  yet  my  voice,  as  I  taunted 
Agathemer  and  railed  at  him,  rose  to  a  sort  of  scream. 

He  laid  on  more  fiercely.  After  a  dozen  blows  or  more 
a  harder  blow  made  me  groan.  At  that  instant  I  was  aware 
of  a  shadow  above  me,  of  a  human  figure  rushing  past  me, 
and  the  blows  ceased. 

I  let  go  my  clutch  on  the  rock  and  tried  to  stand  up.  I 
did  succeed  in  kneeling  up,  supported  by  my  hand  on  the 
altar  stone.  So  half  erect  I  looked  round. 

Agathemer  lay  under  the  intruder,  who  had  him  by  the 
throat  with  both  hands.  Partly  by  sight,  even  from  behind 
him,  partly  by  the  objurgation  which  he  panted  out,  I  rec- 
ognized Chryseros  Philargyrus  and  realized  that  he  thought 
that  Agathemer  had  been  torturing  me  in  revenge  for  his 
flogging  at  Nemestronia's. 

I  instantly  forgot  my  plight  and  my  natural  instincts 
asserted  themselves.  As  if  I  had  been  then  what  I  had  been 
ten  days  before,  I  ordered  Chryseros  to  loose  Agathemer 
and  he  obeyed  me,  as  if  I  had  been  what  I  felt  myself,  his 
master. 

He  and  Agathemer  stood  up  and  looked  at  me  and  each 
other :  I  must  have  made  a  laughable  spectacle,  swaying  as  I 
knelt,  my  hands  on  the  rock,  my  hair  and  beard  mere  clipped 
stubble,  and  I  naked,  with  my  back  bleeding  and  both  shoul- 
ders and  one  hip  inflamed,  purple-red  and  puffy.  Certainly 
both  Chryseros  and  Agathemer  appeared  comical  to  me,  even 
in  my  pain  and  misery  and  weakness  and  through  the  envel- 
oping horror  of  my  fever.  Agathemer,  his  hair  and  beard  a 
worse  stubble  than  mine,  was  gasping  and  ruefully  rubbing 
his  throat,  making  a  ridiculous  figure  in  his  brown  tunic, 
patched  with  patches  of  red,  yellow  and  blue,  all  sewed  on 
with  white  thread.  Chryseros  was  panting,  and  his  bald 
head  shone  in  the  sun.  He  had  cast  off  his  cloak  as  he 


SUCCOUR  185 

rushed  at  Agathemer  and  stood  only  in  his  rusty  brown  tunic, 
himself  as  dry  and  lean  as  a  dead  limb  of  a  tree. 

Although  he  had  obeyed  instantly  when  I  ordered  him  to 
loose  Agathemer,  yet,  perhaps  from  some  vagary  of  my 
fever,  I  stared  at  Chryseros  without  any  other  feeling  than 
that  he  had  been  for  most  of  his  life  the  tenant  of  our 
family  enemy.  As  I  looked  at  him  I  felt  utterly  lost,  as 
if  there  was  now  no  hope  for  me,  as  if  Chryseros  would 
certainly  betray  me  to  the  authorities.  I  felt  utterly  de- 
spairing and  totally  reckless.  This  mood,  oddly  enough,  urged 
me  to  do  the  very  best  thing  I  could  have  done. 

Either  from  right  instinct  or  delirious  folly,  I  informed 
Chryseros  fully  of  our  purposes,  doings  and  plans.  He 
apologized  to  Agathemer  for  his  assault  on  him,  affirmed  his 
complete  loyalty  to  me  and  promised  all  possible  assistance 
and  perfect  secrecy.  He  examined  me  and  said: 

"I'll  have  your  wounds  clean,  your  back  dried  up,  every 
inch  of  you  healing  properly  and  your  fever  cooled  before 
morning.  Here,  Agathemer,  help  get  him  abed." 

They  washed  my  back  and  laid  me,  naked  as  I  was,  on 
the  quilt  laid  over  the  bed  of  leaves,  then  they  covered  me 
with  the  other  quilt. 

"You  two  keep  close  till  I  come  back,"  Chryseros  advised. 
"Someone  else  might  use  this  path.  I'll  be  back  soon  and 
I'll  arrange  to  excite  no  suspicion." 

When  he  returned  he  had  me  out  on  the  flat-topped  stone, 
washed  my  back  and  wounds,  and  then  bathed  them  with 
some  lotion  which,  when  first  applied,  felt  cooling  and  sooth- 
ing, but  almost  at  once  burnt  into  me  till  every  part  of  my 
back,  my  hip  and  both  my  shoulders  smarted  worse  than 
had  the  one  shoulder  as  the  brand  seared  it:  at  least  that 
*ras  how  I  felt.  I  writhed  and  groaned. 

"Keep  still!"  Chryseros  admonished  me.  "Keep  quiet! 
This  is  doing  you  good." 

And  he  chafed  my  back,  inundating  it  with  his  fiery  lini- 
ment till  I  was  on  the  verge  of  fainting  from  mere  pain. 
Half  fainting  I  was  as  the  two  raised  me  to  my  feet  and  put 
khe  tunic  on  me,  as  they  helped  me  back  to  my  bed  in  the 


186  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

little  grotto.  When  I  was  recumbent  Chryseros  made  me 
drink  a  nauseous,  black,  bitter  liquid  and  then  lie  flat. 

"Keep  there  till  morning/7  he  said,  "and  fast.  Food  can 
do  you  no  good  while  you  have  such  a  fever  and  fasting  can 
do  you  no  harm." 

Actually  I  was  asleep  before  I  knew  it  and  slept  all  day 
and  all  night,  not  waking  until  Agathemer,  when  Chryseros 
ordered  it,  roused  me.  They  pressed  on  me  a  quart  bowl  of 
milk  warm  from  the  cow,  and  I  drank  most  of  it.  I  felt 
much  better  and  Chryseros  pronounced  me  free  from  fever 
and  after  he  had  inspected  my  back  and  wounds  and  again 
inundated  them  with  his  fiery  lotion,  declared  all  inflamma- 
tion had  vanished  and  that  I  was  healing  up  properly.  He 
enjoined  Agathemer  to  let  me  have  no  food  but  milk,  said 
he  would  bring  more  after  sunset,  and  told  us  to  keep  close 
in  the  niche.  I  slept  all  day  long,  and  after  a  second  draught 
of  milk  at  dusk,  all  night  till  the  sun  was  well  up. 

I  woke  feeling  stiff  and  sore,  uncomfortable  on  my  back, 
hip  and  shoulders,  but  with  no  positive  pain  anywhere :  also 
I  felt  like  my  usual  self.  And  I  may  say  here,  parentheti- 
cally, that  I  never  had  another  day's  illness  through  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  my  flight,  hiding,  adventures  and  misfor- 
tunes. 

Chryseros  brought  me  milk;  excellent  wheat  bread;  a 
smooth  and  appetizing  veal-stew,  with  beans  and  lentils  in 
it  and  seasoned  with  spices;  cheese  newly  made  from  fresh 
curds,  and  luscious  plums.  He  let  me  eat  my  fill  and  drink 
all  the  milk  I  wanted.  But  he  would  not  let  me  taste  the 
wine  of  which  Agathemer  drank  moderately. 

"If  you  feel  sleepy/'  said  Chryseros,  "roll  over,  cover  your- 
self and  go  to  sleep ;  we  can  talk  tomorrow." 

"I  do  not  feel  sleepy/'  I  declared,  "and  I  feel  very  much 
like  asking  questions." 

"Then  we'll  talk  at  once,"  he  said,  "well  take  all  the  time 
needed  for  your  recovery ;  but  once  you  are  recovered,  we'll 
waste  no  time  in  getting  you  out  of  Sabinum." 

The  morning  was  fair  and  warm,  with  a  light  breeze.  I 
was  on  my  bed  of  leaves  inside  my  nook  of  rock.  Agathemer 


SUCCOUR  1ST 

was  squatted  by  my  head,  his  back  against  that  edge  of  the 
niche;  by  my  feet,  leaning  against  the  opposite  edge  of  the 
niche,  facing  Agathemer,  and  therefore  where  I  could  best 
see  and  hear  him  sat  Chryseros. 

He  began  by  telling  me  that  I  must  remain  where  I  was 
until  he  judged  me  fit  to  travel,  even  if  I  remained  ten  days 
more;  but  that  he  thought  I  might  be  able  to  start  to- 
morrow night  and  would  make  his  preparations  accordingly. 
His  first  idea,  he  said,  had  been  to  set  off  on  horseback  for 
Spolitum,  near  which  he  had  a  sister  married  to  a  pros- 
perous farmer,  to  whom  he  had  paid  visits  at  intervals  of 
about  five  years.  He  had  thought  that  it  would  be  easy  and 
safe  to  take  me  and  Agathemer  with  him  on  foot,  disguised 
as  slaves.  This  idea,  however,  Agathemer  had  antagonized, 
pointing  out  that  any  convoy  from  my  estate  would  be  se- 
verely scrutinized  and  every  man  examined  and  searched; 
that  there  was  no  chance  of  our  escaping  by  such  a  plan. 

At  this  point  of  his  discourse  he  told  me  that  the  Praeto- 
rians had  already  departed  from  Villa  Andivia  leaving  in 
charge  Gratillus,  a  treasury  officer  of  the  confiscation  depart- 
ment, a  man  whom  I  knew  too  well  as  also  a  member  of  the 
secret  service,  an  articled  Imperial  spy  and  an  active  profes- 
sional informer,  moreover  a  man  who  had  always  hated 
my  uncle,  and  who  had  hated  me  from  my  boyhood. 

According  to  Chryseros,  Gratillus  had  made  no  great  effort 
to  find  me,  since,  in  fact,  neither  he  nor  anyone  connected 
with  the  government  had  had  any  suspicion  that  I  had  re- 
turned home.  He  had  merely  made  a  perfunctory  inves- 
tigation to  assure  himself,  as  he  thought,  that  I  had  not  so 
returned.  He  had  examined  all  the  tenantry  and  slaves, 
had  asked  questions,  but  had  tortured  no  one  and  had  been 
quite  satisfied  with  the  answers  he  had  received.  Oddly 
enough,  while  he  had  closely  questioned  himself  and  my 
other  eight  tenants  as  to  the  date  of  my  departure  for  Rome 
and  as  to  whether  they  had  seen  me  since  they  last  saw  me 
in  Rome,  and  while  he  had  questioned  Uturia  and  Ofatulena 
as  to  whether  they  had  seen  me  since  I  set  off  for  Romer 
lie  had  somehow  omitted  or  forgotten  to  ask  Ofatulenus  the 


188  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

same  questions,  so  that  he  had  been  able  to  answer  truthfully 
the  only  questions  asked  of  him.  Agathemer,  I  found,  had 
told  Chryseros  that  only  he  and  Ofatulenus  had  seen  me  be- 
tween my  return  and  escape. 

Gratillus  had  especially  questioned  the  wives  of  my  eight 
tenants,  and  as  Chryseros  was  a  widower,  his  widowed  daugh- 
ter, who  lived  with  him.  Each  of  these  he  had  summoned 
before  him  separately  and  had  interrogated  alone  and  at 
length.  This  was  like  Gratillus. 

He  had  made  but  one  arrest,  and  this  dumbfounded  me. 
Ducconius  Furfur  had  been  interrogated,  like  all  my  neigh- 
bors, but,  while  the  rest  had  been  dismissed  after  answering 
what  questions  were  put  to  them,  Furfur,  with  two  servants, 
had  accompanied  to  Eome  the  Praatorians  when  they  went 
away. 

The  more  I  reflected  on  this  the  stranger  it  seemed. 

Neither  Chryseros  nor  Agathemer  had  any  doubt  that  a 
close  watch  was  being  quietly  kept  to  make  sure  that  I  could 
not  now  return  to  Villa  Andivia  without  being  caught;  nor 
yet  leave  it  if  I  did  return  or  had  returned. 

As  a  result  of  his  discussion  with  Agathemer  they  had 
agreed  that  we  were  to  leave  by  night  and  on  foot,  as  we  had 
originally  intended.  But  he  had  argued  that,  while  it  was 
perfectly  sensible  for  us  to  plan  to  pass  ourselves  off  as  runa- 
way slaves  if  arrested  and  questioned,  there  was  no  sense 
whatever  in  doing  anything  to  appear  like  runaway  slaves 
unless  we  were  actually  arrested  and  questioned.  Agathemer 
had  admitted  this,  but  had  pointed  out  that,  while  we  had  no 
hope  of  any  assistance  whatever,  and  were  planning  to  es- 
cape by  our  own  unaided  efforts,  there  was  no  possibility  of 
our  trying  to  appear  anything  else  than  runaway  slaves, 
as  he  could  easily  steal  slaves'  cloaks  and  tunics  from  my 
spare  stores,  but  had  no  hope  of  getting  his  hands  on  any 
other  garments.  He  had  joyfully  accepted  the  ideas  and 
suggestions  which  Chryseros  put  forward,  as  well  as  his 
proffers  of  assistance. 

Chryseros  directed  that  the  two  copper  cylinders  and  most 
of  the  spoils  of  Agathem«r's  pilferings  should  be  left  in  our 


SUCCOUR  189 

little  grotto,  hidden  under  the  dead  leaves.  He  would  then 
smuggle  them  away  and  dispose  of  them.  He  would  supply 
us  with  rusty  brown  tunics  and  cloaks  of  undyed  mixed 
wool,  such  as  were  worn  by  poor  or  economical  farmers 
throughout  Sabinum.  Also  he  would  supply  us  with  hats 
better  than  those  Agathemer  had  fetched;  belts;  and  travel- 
ling wallets,  neither  too  big  nor  too  small,  neither  too  new 
nor  too  worn,  and  each  with  a  shoulder-strap  for  easy  car- 
riage; good,  heavy  shoes,  two  pair  of  them  for  each  of  us, 
so  that  we  might  carry  a  spare  pair  in  each  wallet.  In  the 
wallets  also  we  were  to  hide  the  hunting  knives  Agathemer 
had  taken  from  my  uncle's  collection;  which  knives,  blades, 
handles  and  sheaths  Chryseros  highly  approved. 

At  sight  of  the  flageolet  he  grinned,  the  only  smile  I  saw 
on  his  face  while  he  was  helping  us  in  our  hiding  and  out 
of  it.  Agathemer,  obstinately,  insisted  on  taking  that  flageo- 
let. And  Chryseros  grudgingly  admitted  that  it  might  prove 
a  really  valuable  possession,  perhaps.  We  took,  of  course, 
our  two  little  flint  and  steel  cases. 

Chryseros  said  we  ought  to  eat  all  we  could  manage  to 
swallow  up  to  the  moment  of  our  departure.  He  would  pack 
our  wallets  with  food  which  could  be  made  to  last  four  or  flve 
days  and  would  be  plenty  for  two  days.  Most  important 
of  all  he  would  supply  us  with  money,  half  copper  and  half 
silver,  as  much  as  our  wallets  could  properly  hold,  so  as  not 
to  make  us  appear  thieves,  if  we  were  suspected  and  haled 
before  a  magistrate.  With  money  we  could  travel  openly  and 
by  day  after  we  were  well  out  of  Sabinum. 

We  planned  to  make  our  way  eastward,  inclining  very 
little  to  the  north,  towards  Fisternge.  The  crossing  of  the 
Tolenus  and  Himella  should  give  us  no  trouble  whatever. 
We  would  pass  south  of  Cliternia  and  north  of  Fisternae. 
Chryseros  questioned  Agathemer  closely  as  to  his  knowledge 
of  the  byroads,  and  applauded  him  highly,  only  on  a  few 
points  correcting  him  or  amplifying  what  he  knew.  North 
of  Fisternse  we  could  gain  the  mountains  and  work  north- 
wards. 

The  most  dangerous  part  of  our  proposed  route,  the  critical 


190  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

point  of  our  escape,  would  be  the  crossing  of  the  Avens  and 
the  Salarian  Highway,  which  we  must  effect  somewhere  near 
Forum  Decii,  between  Interocrium  and  Falacrinum.  Once 
in  the  mountains  we  should  be  able  easily  to  continue  on. 
northwards  into  Umbria. 

Chryseros  suggested  that,  once  in  Umbria,  we  could  pass 
ourselves  off  as  buyers  of  cattle,  goats  and  mules,  all  of 
which  were  bred  on  the  mountain  farms  and  regularly  bougbt 
up  by  itinerant  dealers  who  drove  them  or  had  them  driven 
to  Eome.  The  Umbrian  mountains  had  no  such  numbers 
of  these  animals  as  Sabinum  produced  and  their  quality  was 
far  inferior,  so  that  the  dealers  were  always  men  of  small 
means,  driving  close  bargains. 

All  this  sounded  very  promising  and,  about  half  way  be- 
tween sunrise  and  noon,  he  left  us  to  hide  for  the  rest  of 
the  day.  I  slept  well  and  woke  feeling  almost  myself,  with 
merely  trifling  discomfort  from  my  fast  healing  wounds. 

When  Chryseros  returned  in  the  dusk,  I  ate  ravenously. 
He  brought  us  good,  coarse  tunics  and  cloaks,  also  hats,  shoes, 
and  belts ;  and  for  each  of  us,  a  small  leather  case  containing 
two  good  needles  and  a  little  hank  of  strong  linen  thread. 
We  talked  in  subdued  tones,  as  before,  and  kept  it  up  until 
long  after  dark. 

Next  morning  I  woke  full  of  hope  and  eager  to  be  off. 
Chryseros  brought  our  wallets  and  we  packed  them  with 
everything  they  were  to  hold  except  most  of  the  food.  We 
had  a  long  wrangle  over  the  money,  as  Chryseros  wanted  to 
force  on  us  more  silver  than  I  thought  it  safe  to  carry. 

That  night,  after  a  generous  meal  and  a  long  final  talk 
with  Chryseros,  we  set  off  to  sneak  our  way  into  the  Aemilian 
Estate  and  from  there  eastward.  Before  we  set  off  Chryseros 
insisted  on  hanging  round  each  of  our  necks,  by  the  usual 
leathern  thong,  one  of  those  tiny,  flat  leathern  pouches,  in 
which  slaves  were  accustomed  to  wear  protective  amulets. 
He  declared  that  these  contained  talismans  of  great  potency 
and  of  inestimable  value  to  us  in  our  flight,  as  in  any  risk 
or  venture.  At  the  moment  of  parting,  to  my  amazement,  ho 


SUCCOUR  191 

burst  into  tears,  threw  his  arms  around  me,  held  me  close 
and  clung  to  me  sobbing,  and  kissing  me  as  if  I  had  been  his 
own  son.  As  we  moved  off  I  could  still  hear  his  sobs. 

We  had  excellent  luck.  Hiding  by  day  and  threading 
devious  paths  by  night  we  reached  and  passed  the  Avens 
and  the  Salarian  Highway  without  any  encounter  with  any 
human  being;  and  indeed  without  near  proximity  to  any. 
Our  daytime  hiding-places  all  turned  out  to  have  been  well 
chosen  and  no  one  approached  us  in  any  one  of  them.  The 
moon,  which  was  in  her  first  quarter  on  the  night  of  our 
setting  out,  helped  us  nightly.  There  was  no  rain  and  only 
some  moderate  cloudiness,  enough  to  be  helpful  at  the  time 
of  the  full  moon,  when  there  was  enough  light  all  night  for 
us  to  see  to  travel  at  a  good  rate  of  speed  and  without  any 
error  at  forks  in  the  paths ;  and  yet  not  enough  light  to  make 
us  conspicuous  to  any  who  might  be  abroad  late  at  night. 

Once  beyond  the  Nar  and  almost  at  the  borders  of  TJmbria, 
we  grew  bolder,  travelled  by  day,  bought  food  as  we  needed 
it,  put  up  at  inns  and  acted  the  character  we  had  assumed* 
of  Sabines  intent  on  stock-buying  in  the  Umbrian  mountains. 
No  one  appeared  to  suspect  us  and  we  had  no  adventures. 

But,  inevitably,  once  we  had  escaped,  we  did  not  so  much 
think  of  immediate  danger  as  of  permanent  safety.  Chrys- 
eros  had  confirmed  our  instinctive  opinion  that,  as  Sabines, 
we  should  be  much  less  likely  to  arouse  suspicion  in  Umbria 
and  the  Po  Valley  than  in  Samnium,  Lucania  or  Bruttium. 
We  had  never  thought  of  escape  southward;  northward  we 
had  meant  to  work  our  way,  from  the  instant  of  conceiving 
the  idea  of  escaping.  But  we  had  no  settled,  coherent  plan 
as  to  how  to  achieve  safety  and  keep  alive.  We  could  not 
hide  in  the  mountains  indefinitely. 

We  both  agreed  that  we  could  hide  best  in  a  large  city. 
Marseilles  might  have  been  a  perfect  hiding-place  could  we 
have  reached  it,  full  as  it  always  was  of  riff-raff  from  all  the 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean  and  from  all  parts  of  Italy. 
But  Marseilles  we  could  reach  only  by  the  Aurelian  Highway, 
through  Genoa  along  the  coast,  and  the  Aurelian  Highway 


192  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

was  certain  to  be  sown  with  spies  and  likely  enough  might 
be  travelled  upon  by  officials  who  had  known  me  from  child- 
hood and  would  probably  know  me  through  any  disguise. 

Aquileia,  on  the  other  hand,  was  far  more  populous  than 
Marseilles,  even  more  a  congeries  of  rabble  from  all  shores 
and  districts,  even  more  easy-going.  In  Aquileia  we  should 
be  able  to  earn  a  comfortable  living  by  not  too  onerous  activi- 
ties and  to  be  wholly  unsuspected.  Towards  Aquileia  we 
decided  to  try  to  make  our  way.  The  roads,  being  less  trav- 
elled, would  be  less  spied-on  and  we  should  meet  officials 
less  likely  to  recognize  me. 

But,  if  we  were  to  reach  Aquileia,  we  must  husband  our 
silver.  Agathemer's  idea  was  that,  from  where  we  reached 
the  borders  of  Umbria,  somewhere  between  Trebia  and  Nur- 
fiia,  we  should  keep  as  near  as  possible  to  the  chine  of  the 
mountain-chain,  using  the  roads,  paths,  tracks  or  trails 
highest  up  the  slope  of  the  mountains;  avoiding  being  seen 
as  much  as  possible,  and,  if  we  were  seen,  claiming  to  have 
lost  our  way  through  misunderstanding  the  directions  given 
us  by  the  last  natives  we  had  met.  He  proposed  to  steal 
food  for  us,  instead  of  buying  it,  and  expounded  his  ideas, 
maintaining  that  it  would  be  easy  and  not  dangerous. 

We  tried  his  plan  and  succeeded  well  with  it.  So  wild 
and  untravelled  were  the  districts  which  we  traversed  that, 
nearly  half  the  time,  we  were  welcomed  at  farmsteads,  (to 
which  welcome  Agathemer's  flageolet-playing  greatly  assisted 
us),  invited  to  spend  the  night  and  had  lavished  upon  our 
entertainment  all  their  rustic  abundance,  so  that  we  visibly 
grew  fat.  When  such  luck  did  not  befall  us  we  had  no 
trouble  in  helping  ourselves  to  supplies,  for,  far  up  the 
mountains,  most  habitations  were  shacks  tenanted  only  in 
summer  and  only  by  lads  acting  as  goat-herds  or  herdsmen, 
who  spent  the  day  abroad  with  their  charges,  so  that  we  could 
readily  enter  their  deserted  cabins  and  take  what  we  pleased ; 
especially  as,  if  a  dog  had  been  left  to  guard  the  hut,  I 
could  always  master  him  so  that  he  greeted  me  fawning  and 
atood  wagging  his  tail  as  we  made  off. 

Except  these  not  very  risky  raids  for  provender  and  such 


THE  LONELY  HUT  193 

encounters  as  called  for  more  than  usually  ingenious  lying 
from  Agathemer,  we  had  no  adventures. 

But  we  realized  from  day  to  day  and  more  and  more  in- 
sistently, that  we  were  progressing  slowly,  far  slower  than 
we  had  anticipated.  It  was  plain  that  we  could  not  hope  to 
reach  Aquileia  before  winter  set  in.  It  was  manifest  that 
it  would  be  unsafe  to  attempt  to  winter  anywhere  in  the  Po 
valley  between  the  mountains  and  Aquileia.  At  Ravenna, 
Bononia  or  Padua  we  should  be  noticed,  investigated  and  per- 
haps recognized:  anywhere  in  the  open  country,  at  any  vil- 
lage or  farm,  we  should,  even  more  certainly  excite  suspicion. 
We  must  winter  in  the  mountains.  But  how  or  where? 

The  question  was  solved  for  us  by  our  first  considerable 
adventure.  I  never  knew  the  precise  locality.  We  had,  in 
traversing  the  mountains  trails,  avoided  any  semblance  of 
ignorance  of  our  general  locality  and  had  sedulously  re- 
frained from  asking  any  questions  except  as  to  our  way 
to  some  nearby  objective,  generally  imaginary.  All  I  know 
is  that  we  were  somewhere  on  the  northeastern  slope  of  the 
long  chain  of  mountains  beyond  Iguvium  and  Tifernum  per- 
haps near  the  headwaters  of  the  Sena.  On  the  morning 
of  our  adventure  we  were  on  a  long  spur  of  the  main  range, 
so  that  we  were  headed  not  northwest  but  northeast.  The 
weather  was  still  fine  and  warm,  but  autumn  was  not  far 
off.  We  hadn't  seen  a  habitation  since  that  at  which  we 
had  passed  the  night,  and  we  had  made  about  three  leagues 
since  we  left  it,  following  what  was  at  first  a  good  mountain 
road,  but  which  grew  worse  and  worse  till  it  became  a  mere 
trail. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  LONELY  HUT 

SOME   TIME  before  noon  we  were  threading  a  barely 
visible  track  not  far  below  the  crest  of  the  spur,  a  track 
bordered  and  overshadowed  by  chestnuts  and  beeches,  but 
chestnuts  and  beeches  intermingled  with  not  a  few  pines 


194  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

and  firs,  when,  out  of  the  bushes  on  our  left  hand,  from 
the  up  slope  above  us,  appeared  a  large  mouse-colored  Molos- 
sian  dog,  very  lean  and  starved  looking.  I  first  saw  his  big, 
square-jowled,  short-muzzled  head  peering  out  between  some 
low  cornel  bushes,  his  brown  eyes  regarding  me  question- 


He  fawned  on  me,  of  course,  and  I  made  friends  with  him, 
fondled  him,  pulled  his  ears  and  played  with  him  a  while. 

Agathemer  tartly  enquired  whether  we  really  had  time  to 
waste  on  skylarking  with  strange  dogs.  I  laughed,  picked 
up  my  wallet,  and  started  to  follow  him  as  he  swung  round 
and  strode  on,  ordering  the  dog  to  go  back  home,  a  command 
which,  from  me,  almost  always  won  instant  compliance  and 
disembarrassed  me  of  any  casual  roadside  friends. 

But  the  dog  did  not  obey.  He  pawed  at  me,  whined,  and 
caught  my  cloak  in  his  teeth,  tugging  at  it  and  whining. 
I  could  not  induce  him  to  let  go,  could  not  shake  him  off, 
and  was  much  puzzled.  Agathemer,  impatient  and  irri- 
tated, halted  again  and  urged  our  need  of  haste. 

After  exhausting  every  wile  by  which  I  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  rid  myself  of  too  fond  animals,  I  began  to  realize 
that  the  dog  did  not  want  to  follow  us,  did  not  want  us  to 
remain  where  we  were  and  go  on  playing  with  him,  but,  as 
plainly  as  if  he  spoke  Latin,  he  was  begging  us  to  accompany 
him  somewhere. 

I  said  to  Agathemer: 

"I'm  going  with  this  dog;  come  along." 

He  remonstrated. 

I  declared  that  I  had  an  intuition  that  to  follow  the  dog 
was  the  right  thing  to  do.  Agathemer,  contemptuous  and 
reluctant,  yielded.  The  dog  led  us  along  an  all  but  undis- 
tinguishable  track  through  densely  growing  trees,  up  steep 
slopes  and  out  into  a  flattish  glade  or  clearing  at  the  brow 
of  the  slope,  overhung  by  merely  a  few  hundred  feet  of 
wooded  mountain  side  and  bare  cliffs  to  the  crest.  The  clear- 
ing was  clothed  in  soft,  late,  second-growth  grass,  and  had 
plainly  been  mown  at  haying  time  and  pastured  on  since. 
In  it  we  found  some  well-built,  well-thatched  farm-buildings  : 


THE  LONELY  HUT  I9« 

a  sheepfold,  a  goatpen,  a  cowshed,  a  strongly  built  structure 
like  a  granary  or  store-house,  another  like  a  repository  for 
wine-jars  and  oil-jars;  hovels  such  as  all  mountain  farms 
have  for  slave-quarters  and  a  house  or  cabin  little  better  than 
a  hut,  mud-walled,  like  the  other  buildings,  but  new  thatched. 
It  was  nearly  square  and  had  no  ridge-pole,  the  four  slopes 
of  the  roof  running  together,  at  the  top,  yet  not  into  a  point, 
but  as  if  there  were  a  smoke-vent:  in  fact  I  thought  I  saw 
a  suggestion  of  smoke  rising  from  the  peak  of  the  roof. 

To  this  hut  the  dog  led  us.  The  heavy  door  of  weathered, 
rough-hewn  oak  was  shut,  but,  when  I  pushed  it,  proved 
to  be  unfastened.  I  found  myself  looking  into  a  largish 
room,  roofed  with  rough  rafters  from  which  hung  what 
might  have  been  hams,  flitches  and  cheeses.  It  was  mud- 
walled  and  had  a  floor  of  beaten  earth,  in  which  was  a 
sand-pit,  nearly  full  of  ashes  and  with  a  small  fire  smoulder- 
ing in  the  middle  of  it.  Opposite  me  was  a  rough  plank 
partition  with  two  doors  in  it,  both  open.  Against  the 
partition,  between  the  doors,  hung  bronze  lamps,  iron  pots 
and  pottery  jars.  The  room  was  dim,  lighted  only  from 
the  door,  in  which  I  stood,  and  from  the  narrow  smoke-vent 
overhead. 

By  the  fire,  on  their  hands  and  knees,  and  apparently 
poking  at  it,  each  with  a  bit  of  wood,  or  about  to  lay  the 
bits  of  wood  on  it,  were  two  little  girls,  shock-headed,  bare- 
foot and  bare-legged,  clad  only  in  coarse  tunics  of  rusty 
dark  wool.  I  am  not  accurate  as  to  children's  ages:  I  took 
these  girls  for  seven  and  five;  but  they  may  have  been  six 
and  four  or  eight  and  six.  At  sight  of  us  they  scrambled 
to  their  feet  and  fled  through  one  of  the  doors,  one  shrieking, 
the  other  screaming: 

"Mamma!     Mamma!     Strange  men!     Strange  men!" 

In  her  panic  she  did  not  attempt  to  shut  the  door  behind 
her  and  bolt  it,  both  of  which,  as  I  afterwards  discovered, 
she  might  have  done. 

JSTo  other  voices  came  to  our  ears  and  I  followed  the  chil- 
dren into  the  rear  room  in  which  they  had  taken  refuge.  It 
totally  dark,  except  for  what  light  found  its 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

through  its  door,  and  was  cramped  and  small  and  half  filled 
by  a  Gallic  bed.  I  had  never  seen  a  Gallic  bed  before.  Such 
a  bed  is  made  like  the  body  of  a  travelling-carriage  or  trav- 
elling litter,  entirely  encased  in  panelling,  topped  off  with 
a  sort  of  flat  roof  of  panelling,  and  with  sliding  panels  above 
the  level  of  the  cording,  so  that  the  occupants  can  shut  them- 
selves in  completely;  a  structure  which  looks  to  a  novice  like 
a  device  for  smothering  its  occupants,  but  which  is  a  wel- 
come retreat  and  shelter  on  cold,  windy,  winter  nights,  as  I 
have  learned  by  later  experience.  As  this  was  my  first  sight 
of  one  I  was  amazed  at  it. 

Usually,  as  I  learned  later,  such  a  bedstead  is  piled  up 
with  feather-beds,  so  that  the  occupant  is  much  above  the 
level  of  the  top  edge  of  the  lower  front  on  which  the  panels 
slide.  But  this  bed  was  poorly  provided  with  mattresses 
and  I  had  to  stare  down  into  it  to  descry  the  children's 
mother,  who  lay  like  a  corpse  in  a  coffin,  but  half  buried  in 
bedding  and  quilts,  only  her  face  visible.  She  was  certainly 
alive,  for  her  breathing  was  loud  and  stertorous;  but  she 
was,  quite  certainly,  unconscious.  Between  the  shrieking 
children,  who  clung  to  the  frame  of  the  bed,  I  spoke  to  her 
and  assured  her  that  we  were  friends.  She  gave  no  sign 
of  understanding  me,  of  hearing  me,  of  knowing  of  my 
presence;  but  my  repeated  assurances  quieted  the  elder  girl, 
who  not  only  ceased  screaming  but  endeavored  to  calm  her 
little  sister. 

Seeing  her  so  sensible,  I  questioned  the  child.  All  I 
could  learn  from  her  was  that  her  father  had  been  away 
nearly  ten  days,  her  mother  ill  for  five  and  insensible  for 
three  and  their  four  slaves  had  run  away  the  day  before, 
taking  everything  they  chose  to  carry  off.  I  then  examined 
the  other  room  which  had  a  similar  bed  in  it,  and  in  which, 
the  child  told  me,  she  and  her  sister  slept.  She  declared 
that  she  did  not  know  her  mother's  name,  that  her  father 
never  called  her  anything  but  "mother";  she  also  declared 
that  she  did  not  know  her  father's  name,  her  mother,  always 
calling  him  "father,"  as  she  and  her  sister  did.  Her  name 
was  Prima  and  her  sister's  Secunda. 


THE  LONELY  HUT  197 

As  I  could  not  rouse  the  woman  and  learned  that  the  slaves 
had  been  gone  more  than  a  full  day,  Agathemer  and  I  went 
to  save  the  bellowing  and  bleating  stock.  We  found  in  the 
ehed  two  fine  young  cows  with  udders  appallingly  distended. 
But  our  attention  was  momentarily  distracted  from  them 
by  the  sight  of  eight  full-sized  bronze  pails,  finer  than  those 
at  any  public  well  in  Eeate  or  Consentia,  which  hung  on 
pegs  by  the  door,  four  on  each  side  of  it.  They  were  flat- 
bottomed,  bulged,  but  narrowed  at  the  rim  so  that  no  water 
would  splash  out  in  carrying.  The  rims  were  ornamented 
with  chased  or  cast  patterns,  scallops,  leaves,  egg  and  dart 
and  wall  of  Troy :  four  patterns,  showing  that  they  were  pairs. 
All  had  heavy  double  handles.  We  looked  for  carrying- 
yokes,  but  could  see  none.  Such  pails,  which  would  be  the 
treasures  of  any  village  and  the  pride  of  most  towns,  amazed 
us  in  this  fastness.  Glancing  at  the  pails  took  us  less  time 
than  it  does  to  tell  of  it.  The  cows  needed  us  sorely  and  we 
each  picked  up  one  of  the  suitable  earthenware  jars  which, 
stood  inverted  just  inside  the  shed  door  and  milked  them 
at  once.  Agathemer  said  he  thought  we  were  in  time  to 
forestall  any  serious  and  permanent  harm  to  them.  But 
their  udders  were  frightfully  swelled  and  blood  came  with 
the  milk  from  one  teat  of  the  cow  I  attended  to. 

The  sheep  were  in  a  worse  state  than  the  cows.  Not  a 
lamb  was  visible;  besides  the  ewes  there  was  only  a  two- 
year-old  ram  penned  by  himself  in  a  corner  of  the  fold. 
There  were  eight  fine  young  ewes,  in  full  milk.  As  with 
one  cow,  so  among  these  ewes,  four  gave  bloody  milk  from 
one  teat  each,  and  we  milked  that  onto  the  earth.  We  found 
plenty  of  empty  earthenware  crocks,  clean  and  turned  upside 
down,  in  which  to  save  the  good  milk. 

The  he-goat,  a  noble  young  specimen,  was  penned  by  him- 
self, like  the  ram.  There  were  nineteen  she-goats,  with  not 
a  kid  anywhere,  yet  all  in  full  milk  and  far  worse  off  than 
the  ewes.  All  but  two  gave  bloody  milk  and  three  gave  no 
clean  milk.  These  three  I  judged  might  die,  but  Agathemer 
vowed  he  could  save  them. 

When  we  had  finished  milking  we  searched  about  for 


198  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

water.  Towards  the  northeast  the  clearing  narrowed  and 
here  we  came  upon  a  tiny  rill  trickling  through  a  fringe 
of  sedge.  It  came  from  a  clear  and  abundant  spring  in  a 
cleft  of  rock  against  the  sharp  up  slope  which  rose  there 
under  the  pines.  At  the  lower  edge  of  that  part  of  the 
clearing,  near  the  margin  of  the  more  nearly  level  ground, 
just  before  it  plunged  over  the  rim  of  the  flat,  it  was  dammed 
into  a  drinking  pool  for  the  stock.  We  did  not  dare  let  them 
out  to  drink  and  so  laboriously  carried  water,  I  from  the 
spring  and  Agathemer  from  the  pond,  using  each  a  pair  of 
the  bronze  pails,  pouring  the  water  into  the  troughs  made 
of  hollow  logs,  which  were  set,  one  to  each,  in  the  shed, 
pen  and  fold.  We  kept  this  up  till  every  goat  and  ewe  had 
had  her  fill,  and  then  watered  the  he-goat  and  ram.  The 
cows,  of  course,  we  had  watered  first.  After  the  watering 
we  gave  each  cow  a  feed  of  mixed  barley  and  millet  and 
then  filled  with  hay  all  the  mangers  and  racks. 

When  we  had  concluded  this  exhausting  toil  we  filled  the 
water-jar  which  stood  in  one  corner  of  the  cabin  and  then 
carried  some  milk  into  the  house,  and  offered  Prima  and 
Secunda  whichever  they  preferred.  They  chose  ewe's  milk 
and  drank  their  fill.  Prima  was  much  impressed  by  the 
dog's  confidence  in  me  and  seemed  to  give  me  hers.  She 
said  the  dog's  name  was  Hylactor.  I  tried  to  make  the 
mother  drink  some  cow's  milk,  but  she  swallowed  only  a 
few  drops  which  I  forced  through  her  teeth  by  the  help  of 
a  small  horn  spoon  which  I  found  on  the  floor  of  the  outer 
room. 

Agathemer  roused  the  fire  and  piled  more  wood  on  it. 
There  were  no  less  than  seven  tripods  lying  about  the  floor  of 
the  cabin,  but  all  roughly  made  and  of  the  squat,  short-legged 
pattern  which  holds  a  pot  barely  clear  of  a  low  bed  of  coals ; 
not  one  was  fit  to  hold  a  cauldron  over  a  newly  made  deep 
fire  of  half-caught  wood. 

On  the  tallest  of  them,  or  rather  on  that  least  squatty, 
Agathemer  set  a  small  pot,  which  he  filled  with  fresh  water. 
When  he  had  this  where  it  seemed  likely  to  boil  and  certain 


THE  LONELY  HUT  199 

to  heat,  he  ferretted  about  for  supplies.  He  found  a  brick 
oven  with  about  half  a  baking  of  bread  in  it;  medium-sized 
loaves  of  coarse  wheat  bread.  Two  forked  sticks  stood  in 
one  corner  of  the  cabin  and  with  one  he  lifted  from  its  peg 
in  the  rafters  a  partly  used  flitch  of  good  coarse  bacon. 
There  was  a  jar  more  than  half  full  of  olive  oil  by  the  sticks 
in  the  same  corner  of  the  cabin.  In  a  small  pot  set  in  the 
ashes  Agathemer  stewed  some  of  the  onions  he  lifted  down 
from  the  rafters.  In  the  other  corner  of  the  cabin  was  an 
amphora  nearly  full  of  harsh,  sour  wine.  We  made  a  full 
meal  of  bread,  onions,  bacon,  olives  and  some  raisins,  drink- 
ing our  fill  of  the  wine.  The  little  girls  ate  heartily  with  us, 
now  convinced  that  we  were  friends  and  accepting  us  as 
such.  They  seemed  to  some  extent  habituated  to  their 
mother's  condition  of  helplessness  and  insensibility. 

As  soon  as  we  had  fed  we  inspected  the  place.  The  glade 
or  clearing  was  enclosed  all  around  by  the  tall  trees  of  a 
thick  primitive  forest.  Towards  the  up  slope  and  the  cliffs 
below  the  crest  of  the  mountain  the  trees  were  all  pines, 
firs  or  such-like  dark  and  somber  evergreens.  There  were 
a  few  of  these  also  on  the  lower  slopes,  but  there,  as  along  all 
that  rim  of  the  clearing,  the  forest  was  mostly  of  oak, 
beech,  chestnut  and  other  cheerful  trees.  Their  tops  tow- 
ered far  above  the  verge  of  the  slope  and  screened  the  clearing 
all  round.  Nowhere  could  we  catch  sight  of  any  sign  of 
a  town,  village  or  farmstead,  though  there  were  three  several 
rifts  in  the  forest  through  which  we  could  see  far  into  the 
valleys  to  the  eastward.  The  cliff  above  the  clearing  ran 
nearly  from  southwest  to  northeast,  so  that  the  place  was 
well  situated  towards  the  sun. 

The  cow-shed  was  divided  by  a  partition  and  half  of  it 
had  been  used  for  stabling  mules.  Agathemer  judged  that 
no  mule  had  been  in  it  for  about  ten  days.  We  inferred  that 
the  children's  father  had  taken  the  mules  with  him  when  he 
departed.  Over  the  cow-shed  was  a  loft,  well  stored  with 
good  hay,  as  were  the  smaller  lofts  over  the  sheds  which 
formed  one  side  of  the  sheepfold  and  goat-pen.  The  hay 


200  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

k 

;  was  not  mountain  hay,  but  distinctly  meadow  hay,  such  as 
is  mown  in  valleys  along  streams.  It  was  all  in  bundles, 
such  bundles  as  are  carried  on  mule-back,  two  to  a  mule. 
^This  was  queer;  even  queerer  the  absence  of  any  fowls  or 
pigeons,  or  of  any  sign  that  any  had  ever  been  about  the 
place.  An  Umbrian  mountain  farm  without  pigeons  was 

^  unthinkable. 

k  In  the  granary  we  found  an  amazingly  large  store  of  excel- 
lent barley,  but  only  two  jars  of  wheat,  and  that  not  very 
good,  and  neither  jar  entirely  full.  On  the  floor  were  loose 
piles  of  turnips,  beets  and  of  dried  pods  of  coarse  beans. 
There  were  jars  of  chick-peas,  cow-peas,  lentils,  beans  and 
millet,  more  millet  than  wheat.  From  the  rafters  hung 
dried  bean-bushes,  with  the  pods  on;  long  strings  of  onions, 
dried  herbs,  marjoram,  thyme,  sage,  bay-leaves  and  other 
such  seasonings,  dried  peppers,  strung  like  the  onions,  and 
bunches  of  big  sweet  raisins.  Also  many  rush-mats  of  dried 
figs,  the  biggest  and  best  of  figs,  some  of  them  indubitably 
Caunean  figs.  On  the  floor,  in  heaps,  were  some  hard- 
headed  cabbages,  only  one  or  two  spoiled.  It  was  a  very 
ample  store  and  we  marvelled  at  it  and  wondered  whence 
it  all  came  and  how  it  came  where  it  was. 

The  other  store-house  amazed  us.  It  was,  as  we  had  con- 
jectured, full  of  great  jars;  jars  of  wine,  of  olive  oil,  of 
pickled  olives,  of  pickled  fish,  of  pickled  pork,  of  vinegar,  of 
plums  in  vinegar,  and  smaller  jars  of  honey,  sauces  and  pre- 
pared relishes.  The  rafters  were  set  full  of  cornel-wood  pegs 
till  they  looked  like  weavers-combs.  From  the  pegs  hung 
hams,  flitches,  strings  of  smoked  sausage,  cheeses  of  all  sizes, 
smoked  so  heavily  that  they  appeared  mere  lumps  of  soot,  and 
bags  of  a  shape  unfamiliar  to  both  of  us.  Agathemer  knocked 
one  down  and  opened  it.  It  was  full  of  tight  packed  fish, 
salted,  dried  and  smoked,  a  fish  of  a  kind  unknown  to  us. 

There  was,  along  the  upper  edge  of  the  clearing,  under 
the  boughs  of  the  pine  trees,  a  huge  pile  of  trimmed  logs  of 
oak,  chestnut,  pine  and  fir,  with  a  scarcely  smaller  heap  of 
cut  lengths  of  boughs  and  branches.  Under  a  lean-to  shed 


THE  LONELY  HUT  201 

was  a  small  store  of  cut  fire-wood.  In  a  corner  of  the  same 
shed  were  four  hig  cornel-wood  mauls  and  eleven  good  iron 
wedges,  not  one  of  them  bearing  any  sign  of  ever  having  been 
used,  but  appearing  as  if  fresh  from  the  maker's  hands. 
By  the  woodpile  were  four  even  heavier  mauls,  showing 
plenty  of  marks  of  hard  usage  and  near  them  or  about  the 
woodpile  we  found  eight  rusty  wedges. 

We  could  find  310  axe,  hatchet  or  any  other  such  tool  any- 
where about  the  place.  The  logs  and  six-foot  lengths  of 
boughs  afforded  a  lavish  supply  of  fuel  for  two  long  winters ; 
the  cut  fire-wood  could  not  be  made  to  keep  the  fire  going 
ten  days. 

The  slave-quarters,  as  I  said,  were  mere  hovels,  but  they 
were  provided  with  bedding,  quilts,  and  stores  of  clothing 
by  no  means  such  as  are  generally  used  for  slaves.  Slaves' 
quilts  are  mostly  old  and  worn,  made  of  patches  of  woollen 
or  linen  cloth  all  but  worn  out  by  previous  use;  and  then, 
when  torn,  patched  with  a  patch  on  a  patch  and  a  patch 
on  that.  These  quilts  were  the  best  of  their  kind,  such  as 
ladies  of  leisure  make  for  their  own  amusement,  of  squares 
and  triangles  of  woolen  stuff  unworn  and  unsoiled.  The 
mattresses  were  stuffed  with  dried  grass  or  sedge,  craftily 
packed  to  make  a  soft  bed  for  any  sleeper.  The  pillows  were 
of  lambs'  wool,  as  good  as  the  best  pillows.  And,  in  a  big 
chest  in  each  hovel,  were  good,  new,  clean  tunics,  cloaks, 
tain-cloaks,  and  with  them  sandals,  shoes,  hats,  rain-hats 
and  all  sorts  of  clothing,  not  as  if  for  slaves,  but  as  if  for 
middle-class  farmers,  prosperous  and  self-indulgent. 

We  were  dumbfounded  at  such  abundance  in  such  a  place. 

By  each  bed  in  the  hut  was  a  chest.  These  we  opened  and 
found  in  both  women's  clothing;  tunics,  robes,  cloaks  and 
rolls  of  linen  and  fine  woolen  stuffs. 

The  woman,  although  moaning  and  stirring  in  her  bed, 
gave  no  more  signs  of  life  than  when  we  first  saw  her.  Agathe- 
mer  said,  speaking  Greek  so  the  children  would  not  under- 
stand: 

"We  must  try  to  save  this  woman's  life.    You  manage  to 


202  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

get  the  children  to  follow  you  outside  and  I'll  lift  her  out 
of  the  bed,  and  wash  her,  put  a  clean  tunic  on  her,  put 
clean  bedding  in  the  bed  and  put  her  back  in  it;  I  can  do 
all  that  handily.  She  is  so  ill  she  will  never  know." 

We  went  out  in  the  slave-hovels  and  chose  what  bedding 
seemed  suitable  and  carried  it  into  the  hut.  Agathemer 
had  put  more  fuel  on  the  fire  and  set  a  big  pot  of  water  on 
the  tripod.  We  put  the  bedding  in  a  corner  of  the  hut  and 
selected  from  the  contents  of  the  chests  a  tunic  and  some 
rough  towels,  of  which  there  were  some  in  each  chest 

I  was  not  hopeful  of  being  able  to  wheedle  the  children ; 
but  my  first  attempt  was  a  complete  success.  I  suggested 
to  Prima  that  she  tell  me  the  names  of  the  sheep  and  goatg 
and  she  at  once  became  absorbed  in  instructing  me.  Each 
had  a  name,  she  was  certain;  but,  I  found,  very  uncertain  as 
to  which  name  belonged  to  which  and  not  very  sure  of  some 
of  the  names.  Her  hesitations  and  efforts  to  remember  took 
up  so  much  time  that  we  were  still  at  the  goat-pen,  Secunda 
with  one  hand  clinging  confidingly  to  mine,  when  Agathemer 
called  to  me  from  the  door  of  the  hut. 

He  told  me  in  Greek  that  he  had  done  all  he  could  for 
the  woman,  had  effaced  all  traces  of  his  activities  and  had 
put  the  soiled  bedding  out  in  the  late  sunshine  to  dry  and 
air.  We  strolled  about  the  clearing,  remarking  again  that 
it  seemed  out  of  sight  from  any  possible  inhabited  or  trav- 
elled viewpoint.  Agathemer  fetched  a  rough  ladder  he  had 
seen  in  the  cow-shed,  set  it  against  the  hut,  which  was 
highest  on  the  slope,  and  climbed  to  the  top  of  its  roof. 
From  there,  he  said,  he  could  descry  nothing  in  any  direction 
which  looked  like  a  town,  village,  farmstead  or  bit  of  highway. 
The  place  was  well  hidden,  by  careful  calculation,  for  this 
could  not  have  come  about  by  accident. 

We  peered  into  each  of  the  buildings  and  poked  about  in 
them,  hoping  to  find  an  axe  or  hatchet,  and  marvelling  that 
a  place  so  liberally,  so  lavishly,  so  amazingly  oversupplied 
with  hams,  flitches,  sausages  and  other  such  food  should 
show  nowhere  any  trace  of  the  presence  of  hogs.  There 


THE  LONELY  HUT  203 

was  no  hog-pen  nor  any  place  where  one  might  have  been, 
nor  did  any  part  of  the  clearing  show  any  signs  indicating 
a  former  wallow,  nor  had  any  portion  of  it  heen  rooted  up. 
Jt  was  very  puzzling. 

As  we  returned  to  the  house,  about  an  hour  before  sunset, 
we  simultaneously  uttered,  in  Greek: 

"Here  we  stay " 

"Go  on,"  said  I  checking. 

"Here  we  stay/'  he  began  again,  "until  the  husband  comes 
home,  or,  if  he  does  not  return,  until  spring/' 

"That  is  my  idea,  also,"  I  said,  "and  there  is  but  one 
drawback." 

"Pooh,"  said  Agathemer,  "if  we  do  not  find  an  axe  some- 
where hereabouts  I'll  steal  one  from  a  farm  if  I  have  to  spend 
two  days  and  a  night  on  the  quest." 

We  agreed  that  there  was  no  question  but  that  we  must 
spend  the  night  where  we  were.  The  stock,  after  their  long 
neglect  and  late  milking,  would  be  best  left  unmilked  and 
unwatered  till  morning.  As  we  must  not  leave  the  woman 
unwatched,  we  must  sleep  in  the  hut.  We  could  bring  in 
sedge  mattresses  and  quilts  from  the  hovels  and  sleep  on 
the  earth  floor  by  the  fire.  When  we  had  agreed  on  these 
points  we  forced  some  more  milk  on  the  semi-unconscious 
woman,  gave  the  stock  more  hay,  ate  an  abundant  meal  of 
bread,  oil,  sausages  broiled  over  the  fire  on  a  spit,  olives  and 
raisins;  and,  soon  after  sunset,  composed  ourselves  to  sleep 
by  the  well-covered  fire,  leaving  open  the  door  inte  the 
woman's  bedroom,  but  shutting  the  two  children  into  theirs 
after  telling  them  by  no  means  to  stir  until  we  called  them 
in  the  morning. 

Hylactor  curled  up  outside  the  cabin  door,  almost  against 
it,  after  Agathemer  had  convinced  him  that  we  would  not 
let  him  sleep  in  the  hut.  We  slept  unbrokenly  till  dawn 
woke  us. 

It  was  cold  before  sunrise  so  high  up  the  mountains, 
My  face  felt  cold  even  inside  the  hut  and  by  the  smoulder- 
ing fire.  I  was  reluctant  to  roll  out  of  my  quilts.  But, 


204  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

what  with  Agathemer's  urgings  and  my  own  realization 
of  what  was  required,  I  did  my  share  of  the  milking,  watering 
and  feeding  of  the  stock  and  ate  a  hearty  breakfast.  For,  as 
when  hiding  in  Furfur's  woods,  as  when  anywhere  on  our 
escape,  since  it  was  not  possible  to  eat  as  if  at  home  and  at 
ease,  we  ate  our  fill  soon  after  dawn  and  again  before  dark,  but 
during  the  day  we  ate  nothing.  We  had  from  necessity  al- 
ready formed  the  habit  of  two  meals  a  day,  at  sunrise  and 
sunset. 

The  woman  seemed  less  violently  ill  than  the  day  before. 
When  we  first  saw  her  she  had  been  in  the  throes  of  a  violent 
fever  and  it  had  lasted  until  after  Agathemer  bathed  her. 
From  then  on  it  seemed  to  abate,  but,  when  I  last  felt  her 
forehead  and  hands  before  we  lay  down  to  sleep,  she  was 
still  feverish.  When  we  first  went  to  her  in  the  morning 
she  was  unconscious  and  as  if  in  a  stupor,  but  showed  no 
signs  of  fever.  She  did  not  struggle  against  feeding  as  on 
the  previous  day,  but  swallowed,  a  spoonful  at  a  time,  as  much 
milk  as  Agathemer  thought  good  for  her. 

When  we  had  done  what  seemed  necessary  Agathemer 
suggested  that  I  remain  by  the  cabin  while  he  investigated 
the  woods  round  the  clearing  to  make  sure  how  many  roads 
or  paths  led  out  of  it.  He  proposed  to  carry  his  sheath- 
knife  and  the  stout  and  tried  staff  which  had  helped  him 
along  the  mountain  trails,  as  a  similar  one  had  helped  me, 
and  to  take  Hylactor  with  him :  to  make  a  circuit  about  the 
clearing  some  ten  yards  or  so  inside  the  forest  and,  if  nec- 
essary a  second  circuit,  further  away  from  our  glade.  These 
two  circuits  should  make  him  sure  how  many  tracks  led 
from  or  to  our  clearing.  Then  he  would  follow  each  track 
and  acquaint  himself  with  it,  and,  if  possible,  learn  where  it 
led.  I  approved. 

Before  noon  he  reported  that  only  three  tracks  approached 
our  location;  that  by  which  we  had  reached  it  up  the  slope 
of  the  mountain,  and  one  along  the  slope  in  each  direc- 
tion. About  mid-afternoon  he  returned  up  the  track  by 
which  we  had  come,  stating  that  the  trail  southwards,  about 


THE  LONELY  HUT  205 

a  league  south  of  us,  joined  the  road  along  which  we  had 
travelled  till  Hylactor  diverted  us:  he  had  made  the  circuit 
along  the  length  of  the  league  or  more  of  trail,  back  along 
the  road  by  which  we  had  travelled  and  up  the  track  by 
which  Hylactor  had  led  us ;  he  had  met  no  living  thing,  save 
a  hare  or  two,  too  fleet  for  Hylactor  to  catch;  he  had 
caught  sight  of  no  town,  village  or  farmstead,  even  afar. 
He  had  made  sure  that  the  mules  had  left  the  clearing  by 
the  track  he  had  followed  out  of  it,  so  that,  probably,  the 
children's  father  had  gone  south.  Exploring  the  other  trail 
he  had  put  off  till  the  next  day. 

Next  day  he  found  that  the  other  track  joined  the  lower 
road  only  about  half  a  league  to  northeastwards.  He  turned 
back  along  the  lower  road  and  returned  by  the  uphill  track, 
as  he  had  done  the  day  before  to  the  south.  He  met  no 
one  and  saw  no  town,  village  or  farmstead  anywhere  in  sight, 
and  at  some  places  he  could  see  far  to  the  eastward. 

We  discussed  his  proposal  to  go  off  alone,  with  a  wallet 
of  food  and  try  to  steal  an  axe.  Plainly  he  would  have  to  go 
far.  It  would  be  easy  enough  to  sneak  back  to  the  farm 
where  we  had  spent  our  last  night  before  meeting  Hylactor, 
but  we  both  felt  bound  by  the  obligation  of  our  hospitable 
entertainment  there :  though  nameless  fugitives  we  were  still 
under  the  spell  of  the  standards  of  our  former  lives.  We  ad- 
mitted to  each  other  that  he  might  steal  an  axe  from  that 
farm  and  I  condone  the  knavery  and  avail  myself  of  its 
proceeds;  but  we  agreed  that  such  baseness  must  be  stooped 
to  only  as  a  desperate  last  resort.  He  was  to  set  off  north- 
wards next  day. 

That  night  the  woman,  who  had  been  inert  and  manageable, 
in  a  half-stupor,  became  violently  delirious  and  for  a  time 
it  took  all  the  strength  Agathemer  and  I  jointly  possessed 
to  hold  her  in  bed.  Prima  and  Secunda,  waked  by  her 
shrieks,  were  in  a  pitiable  panic,  Secunda  merely  dazed  and 
aghast,  Prima  begging  us  not  to  kill  her  mother,  fancying 
we  were  attacking  her.  We  managed  to  convince  the  child 
that  we  were  doing  our  best  and  what  was  best  for  her  mother 


206  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

and  that  her  mother's  ravings  would  quiet  and  that  she  might 
regain  her  reason  and  health.  I  induced  both  children  to 
return  to  their  bed  and  shut  and  bolted  their  door.  Agathe- 
mer  and  I,  by  turns,  and  twice  again  each  helping  the  other, 
kept  the  poor  woman  in  her  bed  all  night.  At  dawn  she 
quieted  and  fell  into  a  profound  stupor.  But  the  vigil  left 
me  and  Agathemer  worn  out.  We  attended  to  the  milking, 
feeding  and  watering  of  the  stock  and  then  I  went  to  sleep 
in  one  of  the  slave  hovels,  which  were  free  from  vermin, 
not  the  least  amazing  of  the  many  amazing  features  of  our 
place  of  sojourn. 

This  outbreak  of  our  insensible  hostess  made  impossible  the 
immediate  execution  of  Agathemer's  project.  He  had  to 
have  adequate  rest  before  he  could  set  off.  After  I  had  slept 
all  the  morning,  he  slept  most  of  the  afternoon.  During  his 
nap  I  found,  behind  the  water-jar  in  the  hut,  a  hatchet- 
head,  with  the  handle  broken  off  and  what  was  left  of  it 
jammed  in  the  hole.  It  was  small,  but  not  very  rusty  or 
dull.  Before  Agathemer  wakened  I  had  it  well  sharpened. 
We  had  found  a  mallet  in  the  storehouse,  and,  with  this  and 
a  cornel-wood  peg  he  whittled  with  his  sheath-knife,  Agathe- 
mer drove  out  the  broken  bit  of  hatchet  handle.  He  then 
fashioned  with  his  sheath-knife  a  good  handle  of  tough,  sea- 
soned ash  from  a  piece  he  had  found  in  one  of  the  buildings. 
With  this  hatchet  we  could  cut  up  small  boughs  selected 
from  the  big  woodpile,  but  it  was  too  small  to  enable  us  to 
cut  logs  into  lengths  or  split  lengths  of  logs. 

Again,  when  Agathemer  was  planning  for  the  next  day 
his  axe-stealing  expedition,  the  woman  had  a  fit  of  raving. 
This  lasted  a  night,  a  day  and  a  night  and  left  both  of  us 
to  the  last  degree  weary  and  drowsy.  Before  we  had  recup- 
erated our  firewood  was  almost  used  up.  The  situation  looked 
hopeless.  It  was  well  along  into  the  Autumn,  though  we 
were  now  unsure  of  what  month  we  were  in,  so  completely 
had  we  lost  count  of  the  days.  Again  Agathemer  projected 
an  expedition  for  the  next  day,  in  the  faint  hope  of  obtaining 
us  an  axe,  and  I  feared  he  now  aimed  for  our  last  harborage. 
At  dusk,  as  he  hunted  for  small  wood  under  the  margin  of 


THE  LONELY  HUT  307 

the  woodpile,  he  found  a  good,  big,  double-edged  axe-head. 
It  was  dull  and  very  rusty,  and  he  had  a  vast  deal  of  trouble 
getting  out  the  fragment  of  broken  handle  and  shaping  a 
new  handle,  in  which  he  was  greatly  helped  by  a  fairly  good 
draw-knife,  which  I  had  that  very  morning  found  hanging 
on  a  peg  behind  the  hay  in  the  loft  over  the  cow-shed.  He 
had  quite  as  much  trouble  in  fitting  the  handle  into  the 
axe-head  and  in  sharpening  both  edges.  But  he  did  all  that 
before  we  composed  ourselves  to  sleep.  Besides  those  on  the 
partition  we  had  found  a  score  of  fine  bronze  lamps  and  we 
had  olive  oil  enough  for  all  uses  for  two  winters. 

Next  morning  we  woke  to  find  all  our  world  buried  under 
a  foot  of  snow,  the  pines  laden  with  it,  the  boughs  of  the 
beeches,  oaks  and  chestnuts  furred  with  it  along  their  tops. 
It  was  a  magic  outlook,  the  like  of  which  neither  of  us  had 
ever  seen. 

After  that,  all  through  the  winter,  our  life  was  an  unvary- 
ing routine  of  milking,  feeding  and  watering  the  stock,  pre- 
paring and  eating  meals  limited  only  by  our  appetites,  nurs- 
ing the  sick  woman,  and  chopping  firewood.  From  the  first 
streak  of  dawn  till  the  last  gleam  of  twilight  one  or  the 
other  of  us  chopped  the  firewood.  Neither  of  us  was  an 
adept  at  handling  an  axe.  But  Agathemer,  with  his  half 
Greek  ancestry  and  his  wholly  Greek  versatility  and  adapt- 
ability, taught  himself  to  be  a  good  axeman  in  ten  days. 
I  bungled  and  blundered  away  at  it  all  winter.  Agathemer 
could  cut  a  two-foot  oak  log  into  suitable  lengths  with  a 
minimum  of  effort,  with  clean,  effective  strokes  of  the  ring- 
ing axe,  the  cuts  sharp  and  even;  I  could  cut  any  log  into 
lengths  and  enjoyed  the  effort,  but  I  sweated  over  it  and  laid 
half  my  strokes  awry,  so  that  the  ends  of  my  lengths  were 
notched  and  unsightly. 

Also  I  broke  five  several  axe-helves  in  the  course  of  the 
winter.  The  first  time  I  broke  a  helve  Agathemer  had  no 
substitute  ready,  and,  what  was  more,  the  fragment  of  the 
old  helve  was  in  so  tight  that  he  had  to  burn  it  out  in  the 
fire  and  then  retemper  and  resharpen  our  one  precious  axe- 
head.  His  retempering  and  resharpening  turned  out  all 


208  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

right,  but  he  said  his  success  was  accidental  and  he  might 
ruin  the  axe  if  he  tried  again.  So  he  made  two  extra  helves 
and  had  a  dozen  cornel-wood  pegs  ready  to  drive  out  the 
bit  of  broken  handle  next  time  I  broke  it ;  as  I  did,  according 
to  his  laughing  forecast. 

The  incessant  labor  of  our  days  hardened  both  of  us. 
Our  muscles  were  like  steel  rods.  We  slept  on  our  mattresses 
by  that  ash-covered  fire  as  I  had  never  slept  at  Villa  Andivia 
or  at  my  mansion  in  Eome.  We  ate  enormously  and  relished 
every  mouthful. 

Riving  lengths  of  logs  with  wedges  and  maul  was  a  kind 
of  work  calling  for  no  special  skill;  Agathemer  taught  me 
all  he  knew  in  a  day  or  two.  All  winter  we  alternated  this 
work  with  woodchopping,  afterwards  chopping  the  riven 
lengths  into  firewood  lengths  and  then  splitting  these  into 
firewood.  Although  we  worked  at  riving  and  chopping  and 
splitting  every  moment  of  daylight  when  we  were  not  busy 
at  something  else,  we  never  accumulated  any  comfortable 
store  of  firewood,  so  as  to  be  able  to  rest  even  one  day.  We 
drank  new  milk  by  the  quart,  with  both  our  meals;  wine, 
abundantly  as  we  were  supplied  with  it  and  good  as  it  proved 
to  be,  we  drank  sparingly,  merely  a  draught  at  waking,  one 
after  each  meal,  and  one  at  bedtime.  What  we  took  we 
took  strong,  mixing  wine  and  water  in  equal  proportions. 

Both  Agathemer  and  I  preferred  cows'  milk  and  drank 
that  only,  as  we  gave  cows'  milk  only  to  the  sick  woman. 
Both  children  preferred  ewes'  milk.  As  \ve  had  no  hogs  to- 
feed  we  were  put  to  it  what  to  do  with  our  surplus  milk. 
Agathemer  made  a  sort  of  soft  cheese,  by  putting  sour  curds 
in  a  bag  and  hanging  it  up  to  drain.  We  both  liked  this 
and  so  did  the  little  girls.  But  we  could  not  use  much  this 
way.  Agathemer,  always  resourceful,  fed  the  dog  all  the- 
goat's  milk  he  would  lap  up,  and,  after  he  had  set  to  curdle 
what  seemed  enough,  mixed  the  rest,  while  fresh  and  sweet, 
with  water  and  gave  this  mixture  to  the  cows  to  drink,  say- 
ing it  increased  their  yield  of  milk.  As  the  winter  wore* 
on  he  fed  similarly  the  best  milkers  among  the  ewes  and. 
goats. 


WINTER  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS  209 

CHAPTER  XIV 

WINTER  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

NEITHEE  Agathemer  nor  I  knew  anything  about  bread- 
making.  He  tried,  but  merely  wasted  flour.  And  both, 
of  us  hated  the  wearisome  labor  of  grinding  grain  in  either 
of  the  rough  hand-mills  which  were  in  the  store-house.  He 
found  a  means  of  keeping  us  well  fed,  satisfied  and  looking 
forward  to  the  next  meal  with  pleasure.  He  screened  a 
peck  or  so  of  barley,  put  it  to  soak  in  a  crock,  and  then, 
when  it  was  swelled,  put  it  in  a  crock  or  flat-bottomed  jar, 
with  just  enough  water  to  cover  it,  and  bedded  this  in  the 
hot  coals  by  the  edge  of  the  fire.  There,  under  a  tight  lid, 
it  stewed  and  swelled  and  steamed  all  day,  unless  he  judged 
it  done  sooner.  When  it  was  cooked  to  his  taste  he  mixed 
through  it  cheese,  raisins,  and  several  sorts  of  flavorings, 
also  a  little  honey.  The  porridge-like  product  he  baked,  as 
it  were,  by  turning  a  larger  crock  over  the  crock  containing 
it.  The  result  was  always  tasty  and  relishable. 

I  asked  him  why  he  used  barley,  not  wheat,  of  which  there 
was  quite  a  supply.  He  said  barley  was  supposed  to  be  heat- 
ing, and  we  certainly  needed  all  the  heating  we  could  get. 

The  old  smoked  cheeses,  of  which  an  amazing  number 
hung  in  the  hut  and  store-houses,  were,  to  me,  very  appetiz- 
ing, used  in  this  way,  though  too  strongly  flavored  for  me  to 
eat  any  quantity  of  any  sort  as  one  would  eat  normal  cheese. 
Agathemer  said  they  had  all  been  smoked  too  soon,  while 
the  cheese  was  yet  soft,  so  that  the  smoke  had  penetrated 
all  through  the  cheese.  Certainly  the  outside  of  each  cheese 
was  mere  soot  to  the  depth  of  an  inch,  so  that  we  had  to 
throw  it  away.  Even  Hylactor  would  not  eat  it. 

Soon  after  the  first  hard  freeze  we  found,  one  morning, 
one  of  the  goats  with  a  leg  broken.  Agathemer,  with  me  to 
help  him,  got  her  out  into  one  of  the  buildings,  out  of  sight 


210  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

or  hearing  of  the  other  animals;  and,  there  later,  butchered 
her.  We  had,  by  this  time,  found  butchering  knives  and 
kitchen  knives,  to  the  number  of  a  score,  but  each  hidden  by 
itself,  and  in  the  oddest  places,  one  under  a  sill  of  the  cow- 
shed, another  under  a  wine- jar,  several  between  the  rafters 
and  thatch,  most  buried  in  the  thatch  itself,  as  if  they  had 
been  hidden  on  purpose.  They  were  all  rusty,  but  we  soon 
had  them  bright  and  sharp.  With  some  of  these  we  butchered 
and  cut  up  the  goat.  The  offal  we  fed  to  Hylactor,  not  much 
at  a  time.  Most  of  the  rest  of  her  we  ate,  a  little  at  a  time, 
as  the  frost  kept  the  meat  from  spoiling. 

The  kidneys  Agathemer  used  first.  He  washed  them, 
soaked  them,  parboiled  them,  cut  them  into  bits,  fried  the 
bits  in  olive  oil,  and  then,  when  they  were  crisp,  stirred  some 
of  them  through  one  of  his  crocks  of  cooked  barley.  The 
result  was  delicious.  The  kidneys  sufficed  for  two  or  three 
crocks  of  barley.  Then  he  did  something  similar  with  the 
liver  with  a  result  almost  as  appetizing. 

We  had  some  chops,  broiled  over  the  hot  coals ;  also  collops, 
spitted,  with  bits  of  fat  bacon  between.  But  neither  of  us 
cared  much  for  goat's  meat,  and  Agathemer's  attempt  at 
a  broth  made  of  the  tougher  meat  was  not  a  success.  It  had 
a  repulsive  smell  and  a  more  repulsive  taste,  though  it 
seemed  nourishing.  He  made  only  one  pot  of  broth.  After 
that  we  fed  the  coarser  parts,  little  by  little,  to  Hylactor. 

This  loss  of  one  goat  led  Agathemer  to  do  some  thinking. 
There  was  a  pretty  large  supply  of  hay,  but  not  enough  to 
keep  in  good  milk  all  through  the  winter,  until  grass  grew 
next  spring,  two  cows,  eight  ewes  and  twenty  goats.  We 
talked  the  matter  over.  The  ram  and  the  he-goat  were 
manifestly  of  choice  breeding  stock,  probably  carefully 
selected  and  cherished.  We  judged  their  owner  would  be 
angry  if  he  did  not  find  them  on  his  return.  So  Agathemer 
considered  which  of  the  ewes  gave  the  least  milk  and  prom- 
ised least  as  a  breeder,  and,  after  all  the  goat's  meat  was 
used  up,  we  killed  her.  Sheep's-kidneys  and  sheep's-liver 
are  better  eating  than  goafs-kidneys  and  goafs-liver.  We 
both  agreed  on  that  and  we  liked  mutton  chops  and  mutton 


WINTER  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

cutlets.  Hylactor  got  only  the  offal  and  the  coarser  bits, 
the  rest  Agathemer  made  into  a  relishable  broth  flavored 
with  marjoram.,  bay-leaves  and  other  herbs. 

During  the  winter  he  killed  six  more  goats  and  one  more 
ewe,  so  that  we  fed,  all  winter,  six  ewes  and  twelve  goats. 
Tor  these  the  hay  sufficed  and  not  a  little  was  left  when 
we  departed. 

For  ourselves,  while  we  wasted  nothing,  we  were  lavish 
with  the  food  stores.  The  bitter  cold  and  our  unremitting 
toil  all  day  long,  at  a  thousand  other  tasks  and  always  at 
preparing  fire-wood,  contributed  to  keep  us  ravenous.  We 
ate  heartily  twice  a  day,  never  taking  anything  between  meals 
except  all  the  milk  we  chose  to  drink,  and  I  found  ewes' 
milk  and  goats'  milk,  yet  warm,  or  milked  that  morning, 
good  to  drink  in  cold  weather.  Often  we  mixed  hot  water 
with  the  goats'  milk  and  drank  the  mixture  while  warm. 

One  intensely  cold  and  brilliantly  clear  day,  as  I  was  riving 
a  log,  panting  and  glowing  with  the  labor,  yet  with  fingers 
numb  and  feet  aching  with  the  cold,  I  heard  a  yell  from 
Agathemer.  Axe  in  hand,  my  left  hand  making  sure  that 
my  knife  was  loose  in  its  sheath,  where  I  wore  it  stuck  in  my 
belt,  I  raced  to  the  store-house.  There  I  found  Agathemer 
alone,  unhurt,  standing  by  an  olive- jar,  staring  into  it. 

"What  is  wrong?"  I  queried. 

"Nothing  wrong,"  he  said,  "but  something  amazing." 

He  fumbled  in  the  jar,  reaching  his  arm  down  into  it  as 
far  as  he  could,  his  arm-pit  tight  down  on  the  rim.  After 
some  straining  he  held  up  his  hand,  all  dripping  with  dregs, 
and,  between  his  thumb  and  forefinger,  exhibited  an  unmis- 
takable gold  coin.  How  many  there  were  in  that  jar  we 
never  knew;  there  were  too  many  to  count.  We  turned  the 
jar  over  on  its  side,  with  some  labor,  and  made  sure  that 
there  were  enough  gold  coins  in  it  to  weigh  more  than  either 
I  or  Agathemer  weighed  and  we  were  about  normal-sized 
men,  in  every  way. 

We  discussed  this  find  a  good  deal.  We  agreed  that  the 
coins  were  of  no  use  to  us  and  could  be  of  no  use  to  us.  As 
we  meant  to  pass  ourselves  off  for  Sabine  cattle-buyers  until 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

we  were  out  of  TJmbria,  as  we  meant  to  press  on  to  Aquileia, 
as  soon  as  the  weather  was  warm  enough,  as  we  meant  to 
pass  ourselves  off  for  runaway  slaves,  if  we  were  arrested  and 
questioned  gold  coins  in  our  possession  would  have  been 
most  dangerous  to  us.  We  agitated  the  idea  of  sewing  a 
few  into  the  hems  of  our  tunics  and  into  the  ends  of  our 
belts;  but  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  any  attempt  to 
exchange  a  gold  coin  for  silver  would  be  very  dangerous  and 
much  too  risky  a  venture. 

We  also  agreed  that  if  the  master  of  the  place  returned 
lie  must  not  suspect  that  we  knew  of  his  hoard.  So  we 
replaced  the  jar  as  it  had  stood,  effaced  all  signs  of  its  having 
been  moved  and  refilled  it  with  olives,  taking  them  from 
another  jar,  which  proved  to  contain  olives  only,  all  the  way 
to  the  bottom. 

This  find  led  Agathemer  to  investigate  every  jar  on  the 
place,  running  a  long  rod  of  tough  wood  down  into  each  as 
a  sounder.  In  another  jar  of  olives  he  found  a  similar 
hoard  of  silver  denarii.  Of  these  we  took  as  many  as  were 
necessary  to  replenish  the  store  of  coins  Chryseros  had  fur- 
nished us  with.  Even  of  silver  we  dared  not  carry  too  much. 
The  hoard  was  so  large  that  the  handful  of  coins  we  took 
was  unlikely  ever  to  be  missed. 

The  little  girls,  early  in  our  stay,  became  entirely  accus- 
tomed to  us  and  utterly  trustful  of  us.  In  the  chests  Agathe- 
mer found  other  tunics,  warmer  than  those  they  had  on 
when  we  came,  which  were  suited  to  them.  But  there  were 
no  cloaks  small  enough  for  them  to  wear.  With  our  precious 
scissors  Agathemer  cut  in  two  the  smallest  warm  cloak  he 
could  find  and,  with  the  needles  and  thread  Chryseros  had 
given  us,  he  roughly  hemmed  the  cut  edge.  The  two  awk- 
wardly-shaped cloaks,  thus  made,  the  children  wore  till  spring. 

We  could  find  no  shoes  for  the  children  and  they  went 
barelegged  and  barefooted  all  the  winter.  They  did  not  seem 
to  mind  it,  except  on  the  most  bitterly  cold  days,  when  the 
wind  howled  about  the  hut,  roaring  through  the  pines  and 
naked-boughed  oaks,  blowing  before  it  the  snow  in  silver 
dust.  Then  they  kept  inside  the  hut  all  day.  But,  on  sunny 


WINTER  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS  213 

and  windless  days,  they  ran  about  barefoot  in  the  snow  and 
seemed  entirely  indifferent  to  the  cold,  though  they  always 
appeared  glad  to  dry  and  warm  their  little  pink  toes  at  the 
fire,  after  they  returned  to  the  hut.  Agathemer,  more  know- 
ing than  I,  would  not  let  them  approach  the  fire  until  they 
had  bathed  their  feet  in  a  crock  of  water  he  kept  standing 
ready  inside  the  hut  door  and  had  partially  dried  them  after- 
wards. He  said  that  otherwise  their  feet  would  puff  and 
swell  and  perhaps  inflame.  They  seemed  happy-hearted  little 
beings  and  Secunda  was  bright.  But  Prima  was  very  dull 
and  less  intelligent  than  her  younger  sister.  We  concluded 
that  she  was,  while  not  anything  like  an  idiot,  certainly  a 
very  backward  child,  lacking  the  wit  of  a  normal  child  of 
her  age. 

After  the  first  snow  fell  we  had  no  more  trouble  with 
violent  outbreaks  from  the  sick  woman;  or,  at  least,  very 
little.  Her  next  fit  of  raving  came  about  ten  days  after 
the  first  snowfall  and  began  in  the  daytime,  when  both 
Agathemer  and  I  were  in  the  hut.  We  forced  her  back  into 
her  bed  and  then  Agathemer  had  an  inspiration.  He  bade 
me  hold  her  where  she  was  and  he  took  down  his  flageolet, 
from  where  it  hung  on  a  high  peg  on  the  partition,  and  began 
to  play  it. 

The  woman  quieted  at  once  and  seemed  to  sink  to  sleep. 
After  that  her  fits,  which  recurred  at  frequent  intervals,  took 
up  little  of  our  time,  as  upon  each  we  had  only  to  get  her 
back  into  her  bed  and  compose  her  by  means  of  Agathemer's 
music. 

It  was  well  along  towards  spring,  certainly  far  towards 
the  end  of  the  winter,  when  Agathemer  made  his  most  aston- 
ishing discovery.  By  that  time  the  animals  gave  no  more 
milk  than  sufficed  for  the  five  of  us;  there  was  no  surplus 
to  feed  back  to  the  best  milkers.  Also  we  had  a  little  reserve 
of  firewood  and  did  not  have  to  drive  ourselves  so  unre- 
mittingly to  escape  death  by  freezing  if  our  fuel  gave  out. 

I  was  chopping  wood  in  a  leisurely  way,  and  enjoying  the 
exercise.  The  little  girls  were  inside  the  hut  at  the  moment, 
after  playing  about  most  of  the  morning.  Agathemer  came 


214  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

out  of  the  store-house,  glanced  around,  and  beckoned  to  me: 
together  we  went  inside.  There  he  showed  me  where  he, 
led  by  a  very  slight  difference  of  color,  had  dug  into  the  earth 
floor  and  come  upon  a  small  maple-wood  chest,  like  a  temple 
treasure-box.  It  was,  outside,  perhaps  a  foot  wide  and  about 
as  high,  and  not  over  a  foot  and  a  half  long.  He  had  forced 
it  open  with  the  hatchet  and  a  heavy  knife,  like  a  Spartan 
wood-knife.  The  wood  of  the  chest  was  so  thick  that  the 
inside  cavity  was  comparatively  small.  But  it  was  big  enough 
to  have  held,  say,  two  quarts  of  wine.  And  it  was  almost 
full  of  jewels;  opals,  turquoises,  topazes,  amethysts,  rubies, 
emeralds  and  sapphires. 

Agathemer  shut  the  store-house  door  and  fastened  it  so 
the  little  girls  could  not  open  it  if  they  should  chance  to 
try.  Then  he  spread  his  cloak  on  the  earth  floor  and  dumped 
the  contents  of  the  chest  on  it.  Most  of  the  gems  were 
small,  at  least  two  score  were  very  large,  and  there  were 
many,  of  notable,  though  moderate,  size.  We  could  see  them 
fairly  well,  though  the  store-house  was  dim,  since,  with  the 
door  shut,  the  only  light  was  what  came  through  chinks. 
We  ran  our  fingers  through  the  heap  of  jewels,  picked  up  the 
largest  and  held  them  to  the  light  and  gained  a  general 
idea  of  the  value  of  the  hoard.  We  put  them  all  back  into  the 
chest,  shut  it,  and  reburied  it.  It  showed  no  marks  of 
Agathemer's  dexterous  attempts  at  opening  it,  for  the  lid 
•yras  held  down  only  by  a  clasp  outside,  and  by  the  swelling 
of  the  inside  flange  of  wood  against  the  overlapping  rim  of 
the  lid. 

We  went  out  to  the  woodpile  and  I  resumed  my  chopping, 
while  Agathemer  set  to  riving  logs  with  the  wedges  and 
maul.  We  had  always  kept  the  little  girls  away  from  the 
woodpile  and  so  were  sure  of  being  alone.  Also  we  talked 
Greek  as  an  extra  precaution. 

Agathemer,  resting  between  assaults  on  a  very  big  log, 
said : 

"I  am  of  the  same  opinion  I  have  held  since  we  found  the 
gold.  This  place  belongs  to  some  Umbrian  farmer  who  is  in 
partnership  with  a  bandit  chief  or  the  leader  of  a  gang  of 


WINTER  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS  215 

footpads.  Just  as  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen  is  said  to 
have  a  brother  in  Borne,  important  among  the  Imperial  spies, 
so  most  outlaws  have  some  anchor  somewhere  with  associates 
apparently  honest  and  respectable.  The  owner  of  this  place 
may  be  brother  of  a  brigand,  or  related  to  one  in  some  other 
way  or  merely  a  trusted  friend.  At  any  rate  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  this  fastness  is  used  as  a  repository  for  robbers' 
loot.  Everything  points  to  it.  The  gems  and  the  coins 
make  it  certain,  to  my  thinking,  but  even  if  we  had  found 
none  of  these  it  is  pretty  plain  from  everything  else.  There 
is  no  sign  that  there  ever  was  a  pig  anywhere  about  here: 
yet  the  store  of  fine  old  bacon  surpasses  anything  any  mere 
farm  ever  kept  on  hand ;  there  is  not  a  square  yard  of  ground 
hereabouts  that  ever  has  been  plowed,  spaded  or  hoed :  yet 
the  place  is  crammed  with  all  sorts  of  farm  produce.  Mani- 
festly it  was  all  brought  here,  where  there  are  no  pigeons 
to  reveal  the  place  by  their  flight  above  it,  nor  any  cock  to 
call  attention  to  it  by  his  crowing.  This  is  not  a  farm,  it 
is  a  treasure-house,  lavishly  provided  with  everything  port- 
able. 

"The  absence  of  the  man  and  the  flight  of  the  slaves  puzzles 
me.  As  for  the  slaves,  I  can  form  no  conjecture.  But  I 
am  inclined  to  think  it  possible  that  the  man  was  betrayed 
somehow  to  the  authorities  and  is  in  prison  or  has  been 
executed.  We  must  assume,  however,  that  he  is  alive  and 
will  return  and  must  comport  ourselves  accordingly. 

"Now  I  tell  you  what  I  mean  to  do.  In  such  a  hoard  of 
gems  a  few  of  medium  size  could  never  be  missed,  even  if 
missed,  their  abstraction  could  never  be  proved.  Fm  going 
to  select  the  best  of  the  medium-sized  emeralds,  topazes, 
rubies  and  sapphires;  enough  to  fill  the  leather  amulet-bags 
Chryseros  gave  us.  All  slaves  wear  amulet-bags,  if  they 
can  get  them;  ours  are  old,  worn  and  soiled  and  will  make 
unsurpassable  hiding  places  for  as  many  gems  as  they  will 
hold.  I'll  take  out  the  amulets  and  sew  them  into  the  hems 
of  our  tunics,  at  the  corners.  I'll  fill  the  bags  as  full  of 
gems  as  is  possible  without  making  them  look  unusually 
plump.  Then,  if  we  reach  Aquileia,  we  shall  have  a  sourci 


216  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  cash  enough  to  last  us  years;  for  I  can  sell  the  jewels 
one  at  a  time  at  high  prices." 

"Are  you  sure  that  the  stones  are  worth  all  that  care?" 
I  cavilled.  "May  you  not  be  mistaken  as  to  their  value  or 
even  as  to  their  genuineness?" 

"Not  I,"  Agathemer  bragged.  "I  am  one  of  the  foremost 
gem  experts  alive.  Your  uncle,  as  you  know,  held  it  a 
wicked  waste  of  money  for  a  sickly  bachelor  to  buy  gems ;  but 
he  was  a  natural-born  gem  fancier.  He  knew  every  famous 
jewel  in  Rome:  every  one  of  the  Imperial  regalia,  every  one 
ever  worn  by  anyone  at  any  festival  or  entertainment,  every 
one  in  every  fancier's  collection  of  jewels.  From  him  I 
learned  all  I  know:  I  myself  possess  the  faculties  to  profit 
by  my  training.  I  know  more  of  gems  than  most,  I  tell 
you!" 

I  agreed,  and,  during  the  next  few  days,  he  selected  the 
stones  he  judged  most  valuable,  enough  to  fill  the  hollow 
of  one  of  my  hands  and  as  much  for  him,  and  sewed  the  two 
batches  up  in  our  emptied  amulet-bags.  The  amulets,  which 
were  two  Egyptian  scarabs  and  two  Babylonian  seals,  very 
crude  in  workmanship  and  of  the  meanest  glazed  pottery,  he 
sewed  into  the  corners  of  our  tunics. 

Soon  after  this  came  the  first  thaw  of  the  spring;  a  mild 
sunny  day  cleared  every  bough  of  every  tree  of  the  last 
vestiges  of  clinging  snow  or  ice.  Then  we  had  two  days  of 
warm  rain,  sometimes  a  drizzle,  sometimes  a  downpour. 
Then,  on  the  fourth  day,  the  sky  was  clear  again  and  the 
sunshine  strong. 

As  usual  after  my  morning  duties,  I  went  in  to  take  a 
look  at  our  insensible  hostess.  She  lay,  as  she  had  mostly 
lain  all  winter,  breathing  almost  imperceptibly,  her  eyes 
closed.  As  I  bent  over  her,  her  eyes  opened. 

She  sat  up,  wide-eyed,  startled,  the  picture  of  amazement 
and  it  came  over  me  that  she  was  no  peasant  woman,  but 
a  lady. 

"Who  are  you?"  she  demanded,  supporting  herself  on  one 
elbow.  "I  do  not  know  you;  what  are  you  doing  here?" 

"I  have  been  helping  to  nurse  you,"  I  said.    "You  have 


WINTER  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

been  ill  a  long  time  and  have  needed  much  care.  Lie  down ; 
you  will  hinder  your  recovery  if  you  exert  yourself  too  soon." 

She  lay  back,  but  propped  herself  up  on  her  pillows,  and 
in  no  weak  voice  insisted  on  knowing  who  I  was. 

At  that  instant  Agathemer  entered.  He,  far  more  diplo- 
matic than  I,  took  charge  of  the  situation.  The  woman, 
instead  of  losing  consciousness  again  at  once,  as  I  expected, 
appeared  possessed  of  much  more  strength  than  anyone  would 
have  anticipated  and  asked  searching  questions. 

Agathemer,  tactfully  but  without  any  attempt  at  beating 
about  the  bush,  told  her  the  whole  truth,  as  to  her  illness,  our 
finding  her  alone  with  the  two  children,  our  care  of  her,  and 
the  length  of  our  stay.  He  said  afterwards  that  he  hoped 
the  shock  would  cure  her. 

"Am  I  to  understand  you  to  say,"  she  asked,  "that  I  have 
been  in  this  bed  since  the  middle  of  the  autumn  and  that  it 
is  now  almost  spring?" 

"Just  that,"  said  Agathemer  simply. 

"And  that  you  two  men  have  been,  practically,  in  pos- 
session of  this  entire  place  all  that  time?" 

"That  is  true  also,"  I  said. 

Agathemer  and  I  looked  at  each  other.  We  had  used  our 
one  pair  of  scissors  mutually  and  our  hair  and  beards  were 
not  shaggy  or  bushy.  But  we  were  a  rough,  rather  fierce- 
looking,  pair. 

"This,"  she  said,  "is  terrible,  terrible!  Where  are  my 
daughters  ?" 

"Playing  about  out  in  the  sunshine,"  I  said.  "Plump  and 
well-fed,  and  healthy  and  cheerful." 

"This,"  she  repeated,  "is  terrible,  terrible!  May  I  not 
see  them,  may  I  not  speak  to  them,  will  you  not  bring  them 
to  me?" 

"Indeed  we  will,"  I  said  and  motioned  to  Agathemer.  While 
he  was  gone  the  woman  and  I  regarded  each  other  without 
speaking.  When  Agathemer  returned  with  the  children  I 
said: 

"We  will  leave  you  to  talk  to  your  daughters  alone.  When 
you  wish  us  to  return  send  one  of  the  children  for  us." 


318  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

The  joy  of  the  two  at  the  sight  of  their  mother,  sensible 
and  able  to  recognize  them,  was  pathetic.  Sobbing  and 
laughing,  they  flung  themselves  on  the  bed  and  embraced 
her,  kissing  her  and  she  kissing  each. 

We  went  out  and  set  to  chopping  and  riving  wood. 

Before  very  long  Secunda  came  out  and  said  her  mother 
wanted  to  speak  to  me.  Leaving  Agathemer  plying  his 
maul  I  went  in. 

The  woman  was  now  well  propped  up  against  a  heap  of 
pillows.  She  told  the  children  to  run  off  and  play  till  she 
sent  for  them.  Then  she  motioned  me  to  seat  myself  on 
the  chest.  I  did  so. 

She  regarded  me  fixedly,  as  she  had  while  Agathemer  had 
gone  for  the  children.  When  she  spoke  she  asked: 

"What  god  do  you  worship  ?" 

I  was  amazed  at  this  unusual  and  unexpected  question 
and  hesitated  a  moment  before  I  answered: 

"Mercury,  chiefly.  Of  course,  Jupiter  and  Juno;  Diony- 
sus, Apollo,  Minerva.  But  most  of  all  Mercury." 

She  sighed. 

"I  had  expected  a  very  different  answer,"  she  said.  "But, 
whatever  god  or  gods  you  worship,  you  are  a  good  man  and 
your  servant  is  a  good  man.  I  am  amazed.  My  children 
were  truthful  till  I  fell  ill.  I  am  sure  they  could  not  have 
changed  in  one  winter.  In  any  case  Secunda's  precocity 
and  Prima's  vacuity  seem  equally  incapable  of  any  deception. 
What  they  tell  me  is  all  but  incredible,  yet  I  believe  it.  You 
two  men  have  acted  to  me  and  mine  as  if  you  had  been  my 
blood  kin.  If  you  two  had  been  my  own  brothers  you  could 
have  done  no  more  for  us.  I  shall  always  be  grateful.  What 
are  your  names  ?" 

Agathemer  and  I  had  agreed  to  use  the  names  Sabinus 
Felix  and  Bruttius  Asper.  These  names,  common  enough 
in  Sabinum,  we,  in  fact,  had  given  at  the  farms  where 
Agathemer's  flageolet-playing  won  us  entertainment  in  the 
autumn.  I  gave  them  now.  I  added: 

"It  seems  best  to  me  that  you  should  not  ask  either  whence 
we  came  or  whither  we  are  bound." 


WINTER  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"I  understand/'  she  said. 

"And  now,"  said  I,  "since  you  have  our  names,  tell  us 
how  we  should  address  the  mother  of  Prima  and  Secunda." 

"My  name/'  she  said,  "is  Nona.*  My  mother  had  a  larger 
family  than  I  am  ever  likely  to  be  blest  with/' 

Nona  recovered  with  marvellous  rapidity.  The  weather 
continued  fair  and  warm,  with  no  strong  winds,  only  steady, 
gentle  breezes.  This  aided  her,  as  it  dried  out  the  hut.  She 
slept  well  at  night,  she  said,  and  heavily  in  the  afternoons. 
When  awake  she  ate  heartily  and  was  almost  alert.  She 
questioned  me  again  and  again  as  to  the  condition  in  which 
we  had  found  the  place.  I  told  her  the  exact  truth,  except 
as  to  finding  the  hoards  of  coins  and  jewels,  to  the  smallest 
detail.  I  also  told  her  of  our  stewardship  and  of  our  hav- 
ing killed  and  eaten  a  brace  of  ewes  and  eight  goats.  She 
approved. 

I  asked  her  about  the  children's  tale  of  the  slaves  running 


She  sighed. 

"I  should  have  trusted  any  one  of  the  seven,"  she  said. 
"I  believed  that  any  one  of  them  would  have  been  faithful. 
I  suppose  almost  all  slaves  are  alike,  after  all.  Hermes  died 
about  midsummer.  He  was  the  oldest  of  them  and  the  best. 
I  suppose  that,  in  past  winters,  he  had  kept  the  others  to 
their  duty.  But  then,  I  was  never  ill  before.  Without 
Hermes  to  lead  them,  without  me  to  order  them,  I  suppose 
what  they  did  was  natural." 

I  told  her  of  the  great  cold  and  abundant  snow  of  the 
winter.  She  questioned  me  and  said  : 

"Evidently  you  have  had  more  cold  and  snow  in  one 
winter  than  I  have  had  in  ten." 

On  the  third  day  after  her  revival  she  was  able  to  get 
out  of  bed  and,  leaning  heavily  on  me,  to  reach  the  door  of 
the  hut.  There  she  sat  basking  in  the  sun,  Secunda  on  one 
side  of  her,  Prima  on  the  other,  Hylactor  at  her  feet. 

Hylactor  had  proved  himself  a  perfect  watchdog  that 

•Ninth. 


220  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

winter.  We  had  never  allowed  him  to  sleep  in  the  hut,  as 
he  would  have  done  if  permitted,  and  as  he  tried  to  do  at 
first.  Agathemer  had  fashioned  him  a  tiny  shelter  and  into 
it  he  crawled  nightly.  Out  of  it,  also,  he  dashed,  if  any 
sound  or  scent  roused  him.  Tracks  of  wolves  were  frequent 
in  the  snow  out  in  the  forest,  and  not  a  few  approached  our 
clearing.  But  we  lost  not  one  sheep  or  goat  to  any  wolf. 
Hylactor  frightened  off  most  and  killed  three,  a  medium- 
sized  female  and  two  full-grown  young  males,  at  the  acme 
of  their  fighting  powers.  We  rated  Hylactor  a  paragon 
among  dogs. 

The  warm  weather  held  on,  though  unseasonable  so  early 
in  the  year.  Nona  recovered  so  rapidly  that  she  was  able 
to  visit  each  of  the  outbuildings.  Just  when  she  was  well 
enough  to  walk  alone  and  firmly  came  a  sharp  spell  of  cold, 
as  unseasonable  as  had  been  the  heat.  It  began  about  noon, 
-one  clear  day,  with  a  high  wind.  By  sunset  everything  was 
frozen. 

Nona  said: 

"You  two  have  had  more  than  your  share  of  sleeping  on 
the  earth  floor  by  the  fire.  My  bed  will  hold  me  and  my  girls, 
for  a  few  nights.  You  two  take  their  bed.  It  will  be  cold 
on  the  floor  tonight." 

That  night,  therefore,  Agathemer  and  I  enjoyed  a  sound 
night's  sleep  in  a  deep,  soft  bed.  It  was  our  first  night  in 
&  Gallic  bed,  and  we  liked  it.  Since  our  crawl  through  the 
drain  we  had  slept  abed  but  four  times,  at  farms  in  the 
Umbrian  mountains.  This  was  best  of  all.  And  we  had  a 
succession  of  nights  of  it,  for  the  cold  held  on  and,  even 
when  it  abated,  Nona  insisted  on  our  continuing  to  sleep  so. 

During  the  cold  she  mixed  a  batch  of  bread,  and  Agathe- 
mer baked  it.  She  had  praised  his  cookery,  especially  his 
savory  messes  of  steamed  barley,  flavored  with  cheese,  raisins 
and  what  not.  But  when  the  cold  snap  came  after  the 
thaws  she  suggested  that  we  grind  some  wheat  and  she  make 
bread.  We  acceded  with  alacrity.  The  bread  tasted  unbe- 
lievably good. 

As  soon  as  the  weather  was  again  warm  it  was  plain  that 


WINTER  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

spring  was  coming  in  earnest.  Nona  stood  out  of  doors 
after  sunset,  went  out  again  after  dark,  staring  up  at  the 
sky. 

Next  morning,  while  the  children  were  at  play,  she  said 
to  me: 

"Felix,  you  and  Asper  must  leave  this  place  at  once  and 
be  on  your  way.  My  husband  will  return  soon.  He  may 
return  any  day  now.  He  is  a  terrible  man.  He  will  come 
with  too  many  men  for  you  to  resist  and  he  will  not  ask  any 
questions  until  after  he  has  killed  you  both.  I  know  him. 
If  I  could  be  sure  of  telling  him  before  he  saw  you  what 
manner  of  men  you  are  and  how  deeply  I  am  in  your  debt 
he  would  repay  you  lavishly,  for  he  is  liberal  and  generous. 
But,  being  what  he  is,  if  he  finds  you  here,  you  will  be  dead 
before  I  can  explain.  You  must  go.  Prepare  to  set  off  at 
dawn  tomorrow/' 

I  told  Agathemer  and  he  agreed  with  me  that  we  had 
best  do  as  Nona  said.  She  was,  as  she  averred,  well  enough 
to  care  for  herself  and  the  children.  But  we  lingered  next 
day.  By  dusk  she  was  frantic,  begging,  imploring  us  to 
depart  at  dawn.  I  feared  a  recurrence  of  her  illness  and 
gave  her  my  promise. 

We  set  off,  actually,  not  at  dawn,  but  about  an  hour  after 
sunrise,  the  broad  brims  of  our  travelling  hats  flapping  in 
the  wind,  our  cloaks  close  about  us,  our  wallets  slung  over 
our  shoulders,  our  staffs  in  our  hands.  At  the  hut  door 
Nona,  Prima  and  Secunda  bade  us  farewell,  Nona  thanking 
and  blessing  us.  Hylactor  was  for  following  us:  we  had  to 
order  him  back,  for  he  paid  more  attention  to  us  than  to 
Nona. 

With  a  last  backward  glance  at  the  edge  of  the  clearing 
we  plunged  into  the  forest  by  the  track  leading  northward. 

We  had  not  gone  a  hundred  paces  when  I  thought  I  heard 
a  scream  and  stopped.  Agathemer  declared  he  had  heard 
nothing.  But,  listening,  we  did  hear  twigs  snapping  and 
Hylactor  bounded  into  sight.  He  did  not  fawn  on  us,  but 
seized  my  cloak  in  his  teeth  and  tugged,  growling  anfl 
snarling. 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"That  dog,"  said  Agathemer,  "is  asking  for  help.  H0 
knows  what  is  too  much  for  him  to  fight." 

We  threw  off  our  shoes,  wallets  and  cloaks,  tucked  up  our 
tunics  and,  staffs  in  one  hand  and  sheathless  knives  in  the 
other,  barefoot,  raced  back  along  the  track  after  the  guiding 
dog. 

From  that  entrance  of  the  clearing  the  outbuildings  hid 
the  hut  from  us.  When  our  rush  brought  us  in  sight  of 
the  hut  door  we  were  not  six  paces  from  it  and  just  in  time 
to  see  Hylactor  spring  on  and  bear  to  the  earth  a  man  who 
stood  before  it.  Leaving  him  to  Hylactor  we  dashed  inside, 
urged  by  indubitable  shrieks. 

In  the  dim  interior  we  made  out  each  child  struggling 
with  a  man  and  Nona  with  two.  Before  they  could  turn 
our  knives  had  slaughtered  the  children's  assailants.  One 
of  the  survivors  Agathemer  cracked  over  the  head  with  his 
staff.  I  stabbed  the  other.  Whereupon  Agathemer  cut  the 
throat  of  the  man  he  had  downed,  and  dashing  outside,  fin- 
ished the  man  Hylactor  was  worrying.  Quicker  than  it 
takes  to  tell  it  the  five  were  dead. 

Nona  had  fainted,  as  we  rescued  her.  But  Agathemer 
revived  her  with  a  dash  of  cold  water  in  her  face  and  some 
strong  wine  poured  between  her  lips.  We  laid  her  on  her 
bed  and  told  the  children  to  watch  her.  Then  we  dragged 
out  the  corpses,  laid  them  in  a  row  and  considered  them. 
All  five  were  pattern  ruffians ;  black-haired,  burly,  brutal  and 
fierce.  We  had  had  amazing  luck  to  dispose  of  them  so 
easily.  Five  lucky  flukes,  Agathemer  called  it,  and  we  with- 
out a  scratch. 

One  by  one  we  picked  them  up  and  carried  them  off, 
down  the  slope,  to  a  soft  bit  of  soil  among  some  beeches. 
There  we  laid  them  in  a  row.  On  them  we  found  a  few 
eilver  coins,  five  daggers,  five  knives,  five  amulet-bags,  noth- 
ing else.  Their  tunics  and  cloaks  were  old  and  of  poor 
material. 

Back  to  the  hut  we  went  and  found  Nona  revived  and  at 
the  door. 

"Begone!"  she  said.    "Flee!    Hasten!    That  man  was 


WINTER  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

my  husband's  bitterest  enemy.  He  was  intent  on  revenge. 
But  he  could  never  have  found  this  place  save  by  tracking 
my  husband  and  conjecturing  his  destination.  My  husband 
must  have  camped  last  night  less  than  a  day's  journey  from 
here.  He  will  be  here  today,  he  may  be  here  any  moment. 
Save  yourselves.  Begone!" 

Agathemer  and  I  looked  at  each  other. 

"We  shall  not  set  off,"  I  said,  "until  we  have  buried  the 
five  corpses.  I'm  not  going  to  be  haunted  on  my  way  and 
perhaps  for  life  by  any  such  spooks  as  the  ghosts  of  those 
five  ruffians.  We  shall  make  sure  that  they  are  safely 
buried." 

Agathemer  agreed  with  me  and  we  set  about  the  task. 
During  the  winter  we  had  found  mattocks,  pickaxes,  hoes, 
spades  and  shovels  hid  in  the  most  unlikely  places,  each  by 
itself,  and  had  hafted  them;  with  these  we  dug  a  big  pit 
and  in  it  laid  the  five  corpses,  and  buried  them  too  deep 
for  any  wolf,  badger  or  other  creature  to  be  at  all  likely  to 
smell  them  and  dig  them  out  or  dig  down  to  them. 

When  the  men  were  buried  it  was  past  noon.  We  went 
back  to  the  hut,  drank  a  second  draught  of  the  strongest  and 
sweetest  wine  and  drank  it  unmixed,  as  we  had  drunk  our 
first  before  we  set  about  carrying  the  corpses  into  the  forest. 
Nona  renewed  her  adjurations  to  begone. 

But  neither  I  nor  Agathemer  would  listen  to  her.  I  said 
I  was  far  too  tired  to  travel  until  after  a  night's  sleep  and 
that  after  having  saved  her  and  her  daughters,  it  was  no 
more  than  fair  that  she  should  stand  watch  over  us  while 
we  slept  all  the  afternoon:  she  could  easily  watch  at  the 
hut  door  and  explain  matters  to  her  terrible  husband  if  he 
came  and  were  as  terrible  as  she  averred. 

We  retrieved  our  wallets,  cloaks  and  shoes,  threw  them 
down  in  a  corner  of  the  hut,  ate  some  bread  with  plenty  of 
milk  to  wash  it  down,  and  went  to  sleep  in  the  children's 
bed,  as  we  had  slept  the  night  before.  We  woke  before  sun- 
set, did  what  was  needful  about  the  place,  ate  a  hearty  dinner 
of  bread,  bacon,  olives,  raisins  and  wine  and  at  once  went 
to  bed  for  the  night.  After  dark  Nona  ceased  adjuring  us 


224.  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

to  begone;  she  said  that,  if  her  husband  came,  she  would 
hear  him  at  the  hut  door  and  make  him  aware  of  the  facts 
in  time  to  prevent  any  trouble.  We  slept  till  sunrise. 

Then  Nona  declared  that  she  and  the  children  could  milk 
the  animals.  We  agreed  with  her,  for  they  had  little  milk 
by  then.  We  ate  a  hearty  breakfast  and  set  off. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  HUNT 

HAT  day  we  met  no  one  and  made  a  long  march  north- 
JL  westwards  along  the  flank  of  the  mountain,  camping 
at  dusk  by  a  spring.  There  we  rehearsed  our  rescue  of 
Nona  and  marvelled  at  the  ease  with  which  we  had  disposed 
of  five  burly  ruffians.  Agathemer  agreed  with  me  that  it 
had  been  mostly  the  effect  of  complete  surprise.  But  he 
took  a  good  deal  of  the  credit  to  himself.  He  reminded  me 
how  he  had  practiced  me,  ever  since  we  began  our  flight,  at 
the  art  of  fighting  with  knives,  at  knife  attack  in  general. 
In  particular  he  had  drilled  me,  as  well  as  he  could  without 
a  corpse  or  dummy  to  practice  on,  at  the  favorite  stroke  of 
professional  murderers,  the  stab  under  the  left  shoulder- 
blade,  the  point  of  the  knife  or  dagger  directed  a  little 
upward  so  as  to  reach  the  heart.  By  this  stroke  I  had  killed 
both  my  victims,  and  he  one  of  his.  I  acknowledged  his 
claims,  but  was  inclined  to  thank  the  gods  for  special  aid 
and  favor.  We  discussed  that  amazingly  lucky  fight  until 
too  sleepy  to  talk  any  more. 

Next  day  we  met  some  charcoal  burners,  who  were  both 
friendly  and  unsuspicious  and  who  gave  us  intelligible  direc- 
tions for  making  our  way  towards  Sarsina.  The  second 
night  we  again  camped  in  the  woods;  the  third  we  spent  at 
a  farmhouse,  thanks  to  Agathemer's  flageolet. 

The  farmer,  whose  name  was  Caesus,  told  a  grewsome  tale 
of  the  horrors  of  the  plague  and  of  the  death  of  almost  all 
his  slaves.  He  was  gloomy  about  his  future,  as  he,  his  two 


THE  HUNT  225 

sons,  and  their  surviving  slave  were  too  few  to  work  his 
farm.  He  seemed  to  regard  us  as  fugitives  from  justice  and 
as  men  whom  it  was  his  duty  to  help  and  protect.  As  the 
season  was  too  early  for  comfortable  travelling  along  byways 
or  for  safety  from  suspicion  along  highways,  and  as  he  wel- 
comed us,,  we  spent  a  month  with  him,  well  fed,  well  lodged 
and  rather  enjoying  the  hard  farm  work  and  the  outdoor 
life,  though  we  spent  also  much  time  under-cover,  working 
at  what  could  be  done  under  shelter  during  heavy  rains. 

After  he  had  come  to  feel  at  ease  with  us,  our  host,  one 
day  when  we  three  were  alone,  asked: 

"Are  you  some  of  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen's  men  ?" 

On  our  disclaiming  any  connection  with  the  King  of  the 
Highwaymen,  or  any  knowledge  of  such  a  character,  he 
sighed  and  said: 

"Oh,  well!  Of  course,  if  you  were,  you  would  deny  it, 
anyhow.  You  may  be  or  you  may  not  be.  Anyhow,  if  you 
are,  tell  him  I  treated  you  well  and  shall  always  do  my  best 
for  any  man  I  take  for  one  of  his  men. 

"You  don't  look  like  his  kind  nor  act  like  any  I  ever  was 
sure  of,  but  he  has  all  sorts.  I  thought  it  best  to  make  sure. 
It  is  best  to  stand  well  with  him.  He  passes  somewhere  near 
here  every  spring  or  early  summer  on  his  way  north  and 
again  in  the  autumn  on  his  way  south." 

We  left  this  bourne  only  on  the  solstice,  the  tenth  day 
before  the  Kalends  of  July,  and  trudged  comfortably  to  Sar- 
sina,  where  we  put  up  at  the  inn,  frequented  by  foot-farers 
like  us.  So  also  at  Caesena  and  Faventia.  There  we  agreed 
that  we  had  had  enough  of  the  highway,  as  we  might  en- 
counter some  Imperial  spies  of  the  regular  secret  service 
department,  and  not  a  few  of  these  spies  might  know  me  by 
sight  in  any  disguise.  So  we  struck  off  due  north  through 
the  almost  level  open  country,  intending  to  keep  on  north- 
ward until  we  came  to  the  Spina  and  to  follow  that  to  the 
Po.  As  Agathemer  said,  if  we  could  not  find  ferrymen  by 
day  we  could  steal  a  skiff  by  night. 

Not  far  north  of  Faventia,  after  an  easy-going  day's  march 
under  a  mild  spring  sky,  we  came,  just  before  sunset,  to  a 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

forest  of  considerable  extent.  As  we  could  not  conjecture 
whether  to  turn  east  or  west,  we  camped  at  its  edge  and 
slept  soundly,  comfortable  in  our  cloaks,  for  the  night  waa 
warm  and  still. 

Next  morning  the  weather  was  so  charming  that  we  were 
tempted  to  plunge  into  the  forest  and  cross  it  as  nearly  due 
north  as  we  could  guide  ourselves  by  the  sun.  Since  we 
reached  the  edge  of  the  forest  we  had  seen  no  human-being 
near  enough  for  us  to  ask  in  which  direction  we  had  best 
try  to  go  round  it.  We  plunged  into  it  and  in  it  we  wasted  the 
entire  day. 

The  country  is  very  flat  between  Faventia  and  the  Spina. 
I  do  not  believe  that  in  any  part  of  that  forest  the  surface 
of  the  soil  was  four  yards  higher  than  in  any  other  part. 
And  it  was  marshy,  all  quagmires  and  sloughs,  with  narrow, 
sinuous  ribbons,  as  it  were,  of  fairly  dry  land  between  them. 
We  were  hopelessly  involved  among  its  morasses  before  we 
realized  our  plight  and,  after  we  did  realize  it,  we  seemed 
to  make  little  progress.  We  agreed  that  it  would  be  folly  to, 
try  to  regain  our  camp:  we  held  to  our  purpose  and  tried 
to  advance  northwards.  But  we  doubled  right  and  left,  had  to 
retrace  our  steps  often  and  could  form  no  idea  how  far 
we  had  penetrated. 

There  was  an  astonishing  abundance  of  game  in  that 
forest:  hares  everywhere;  does  with  fawns,  young  does,  and 
not  a  few  stags;  wild  boars,  which  fled,  grunting,  out  of  their 
wallows  as  we  approached;  foxes  of  which  we  three  times 
glimpsed  one  at  a  distance ;  and  we  came  on  indubitable  wolf 
tracks.  We  had  plenty  of  food  and  ate  some  at  noon,  for 
we  were  tired.  Then  we  spent  the  day  threading  the  mazes 
of  that  swampy  forest.  We  were  careful  not  to  get  bogged 
and  we  kept  our  tunics  and  cloaks  dry,  though  we  were  mired 
to  the  knees.  But  our  very  care  delayed  us.  The  day  was 
breezy  and  mild  but  not  really  warm,  so  that  we  did  not  suffer 
from  the  heat.  But  by  nightfall  we  were  exhausted  and 
had  no  idea  how  far  we  had  advanced  northward.  Just  at 
dusk  we  came  to  reasonably  firm  going  and  walked  due 


THE  HUNT 

north  about  a  furlong.  There,  as  the  twilight  deepened,  we 
encountered  another  stretch  of  ooze.  We  retreated  from  it 
a  dozen  paces  and  camped  under  some  swamp-maples  on 
comfortably  dry  ground.  We  ate  about  half  of  our  food, 
bread,  olives,  and  dried  figs;  and  while  eating  dried  and 
warmed  our  feet  and  shanks  at  a  generous  fire  of  fallen 
boughs,  which  Agathemer,  who  was  clever  with  flint  and  steel, 
had  made  quickly.  When  our  feet  felt  as  if  they  really 
belonged  to  us,  we  wrapped  ourselves  in  our  cloaks  and 
slept  soundly. 

We  slept,  indeed,  so  soundly,  that  it  was  broad  day  when 
we  waked.  And  we  waked  to  hear  the  wood  ringing  with 
the  barking  and  baying  of  dogs  and  with  the  cries  of  hunters 
and  beaters.  Instantly  we  realized  that  we  were  in  danger. 
For  a  hunt  of  such  size  as  was  approaching  us  must  have 
been  gotten  up  by  a  coterie  of  wealthy  land-owners ;  and  such 
magnates,  if  they  caught  sight  of  us,  would  at  once  suspect 
us  of  being  runaway  slaves.  It  had  been  easy  enough  to 
pass  ourselves  off  for  farmerly  cattle-buyers  in  the  Umbrian 
Mountains.  But,  habited  as  we  were,  camped  in  the  depths 
of  a  thick,  swampy  forest,  we  were  sure  to  be  suspected  of 
being  runaway  slaves  by  anyone  who  encountered  us;  and 
such  gentry  as  organize  big  hunts  with  swarms  of  beaters  are 
always  prone  to  suspect  any  footfarers  of  being  runaway 
slaves. 

We  hastily  girded  ourselves  for  flight,  meanwhile  remind- 
ing each  other  of  the  story  we  had  planned  to  tell  if  caught. 

At  first  we  seemed  to  have  luck.  We  turned  westwards 
away  from  the  beaters  and  found  and  passed  the  upper  end 
of  the  morass  which  had  stopped  us  the  night  before.  From 
there  the  going  was  good,  through  open  underbrush,  beneath 
big  beeches  and  chestnuts,  over  firm  and  gently  rolling 
ground.  Stopping  and  listening  we  tried  to  judge  by  the 
sounds  the  location  of  the  line  of  beaters.  We  seemed  to  have 
a  chance  of  getting  beyond  its  western  end.  We  set  off 
again ;  just  as  we  started  on  nine  deer  dashed  past  us,  a  big 
stag,  two  young  stags  and  six  does. 


228  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Then  we  did  run,  for  we  knew  it  was  our  last  chance  and, 
indeed,  but  little  further,  a  young  wolf  raced  down  a  ferny 
glade,  vanishing  into  some  alders  on  the  further  side  of  the 
glade.  I  nearly  trod  on  a  fleeing  hare.  The  beaters  could 
not  be  far  off. 

Yet,  for  a  bit,  we  seemed  to  be  gaining  on  them,  although 
we  were  quartering  their  front  on  a  long  slant.  The  third 
time  we  stopped  to  pant  and  listen  we  thought  that  our  next 
dash  would  carry  us  where  we  might  crouch  in  the  first 
thicket  and  let  their  line  sweep  past  us. 

But,  some  fifty  yards  or  so  beyond,  when  we  came  to  the 
dancing  red  feathers  on  the  cord  and  thought  we  would  be 
safe  in  a  few  breaths,  there  rose  at  us,  from  behind  the 
feathered  cord,  three  stocky  men,  armed  with  broad-bladed 
hunting-spears,  who  yelled  at  us: 

"Halt!     Stand!     Surrender!" 

We  recoiled  from  them,  amazed,  threw  away  our  wallets, 
threw  off  our  cloaks,  and  bolted,  incredulous;  and  as  we 
ran,  we  heard  them  yelling: 

"Here !  Here !  Here  they  are !  We  see  them !  This  way, 
all  of  you!  We've  got  them!  Here  they  are!" 

No  bogs,  no  sloughs  turned  us  or  delayed  us.  The  going 
was  good,  over  firm  footing,  through  light  underwoods,  among 
wide-set,  big  trees.  For  our  lives  we  ran.  There  seemed 
a  very  slender  chance  of  our  crossing  the  whole  length  of 
the  line  of  beaters  and  escaping  on  the  other  side,  but  that 
slender  chance  seemed  our  only  chance.  We  ran  fit  to  burst 
our  hearts. 

And  the  hunt  was  plainly  converging  on  us.  The  noises 
of  the  beaters  drew  nearer.  We  seemed  in  a  swarm  of  flee- 
ing hares:  more  deer  and  more  deer  passed  us,  this  time,  I 
thought,  does  with  young  fawns.  We  caught  a  glimpse  of 
another  wolf,  of  two  foxes.  And,  in  a  moist  hollow,  we 
barely  avoided  a  nasty  rush  of  eight  panic-stricken,  grunting 
wild  swine. 

We  did  run  across  the  entire  line  of  beaters,  but  little 
good  it  did  us.  Again  we  saw  before  us  the  feathered  cord, 
the  scarlet  plumes  dancing  in  the  sun.  At  it  we  ran,  sure 


THE  HUNT 

of  safety  if  we  passed  it  unseen  and  penetrated  even  ten 
yards  beyond  it  into  the  underbrush.  But  we  were  again 
disappointed. 

This  time  only  two  huntsmen  rose  at  us,  but  they,  too, 
flourished  hunting  spears  with  gleaming  points,  as  big  as 
spades.  They  too  yelled  at  us  and  yelled  to  their  fellows: 

"Halt!  You  are  caught!  Hands  up!  Give  yourselves 
up!" 

And: 

"There  they  go!  Both  of  them!  Come  on!  Here  they 
are!" 

Off  we  went  again,  slanting  back  across  the  approaching 
line  of  dogs  and  beaters,  now  closer  together  as  they  drew 
on  towards  the  nets,  and  already  appallingly  close  to  us. 
Again  we  crossed  the  whole  line,  now  much  shorter.  But  this 
time  we  ran,  not  against  part  of  the  long  stretch  of  feathered 
cord,  but  against  the  outer  yard-high  net.  Of  course  this 
was  well  guarded  and  again  we  were  yelled  at  and  turned 
back. 

Doubling  back,  now  steaming,  panting,  gasping,  with  knees 
trembling  under  us,  we  reached  the  net  on  the  other  side. 

Turned  again,  we  found  the  beaters  so  near  us  and  so 
close  together,  that  we  ran  away  from  them  rather  than 
across  their  line.  We  ran,  in  fact,  in  a  sort  of  mob  of  hares, 
foxes,  boars,  deer  and  even  wolves,  for  some  of  each  were  in 
sight  every  moment. 

So  running  we  came  where  we  could  see  the  line  of  nets, 
now  of  six-foot,  heavy-meshed  nets,  on  either  side  of  us.  We 
made  a  last,  desperate  dash  at  one  of  the  nets,  I  hoping  to 
leap  it  or  vault  it  or  clamber  over  it  and  escape,  after  all. 
But  six  keepers,  all  with  broad-bladed  hunting  spears,  rose  at 
us  beyond  it,  rose  with  triumphant  yells : 

"We've  got  you  now !    We've  got  you  now !" 

From  them  we  shied  off  and  ran,  half  staggering  with  ex- 
haustion and  despair,  between  the  converging  lines  of  nets, 
ran  in  a  veritable  press  of  terrified  game  of  all  sorts,  ran 
madly,  since  we  heard  now,  not  the  barking  and  whine  of  dogs 
straining  at  their  leashes,  but  the  exultant  yelping,  barking 


230  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

and  baying  of  great  packs  of  dogs  unleashed  behind  their 
game. 

Of  course,  although  no  single  dog,  however  infuriated, 
would  ever  attack  me  in  daylight,  when  it  could  see  my  face, 
yet  I  could  do  nothing  whatever  to  protect  myself,  and  far 
less  Agathemer,  against  the  massed  onset  of  more  than  a 
hundred  maddened  hunting  dogs,  each  bigger  than  a  full- 
grown  wolf. 

So  running,  staggering,  stumbling,  at  the  end  of  our 
strength,  we  found  ourselves  running  into  the  battue-pocket 
at  the  meeting  of  the  two  long  converging  lines  of  nets. 
Anything  would  be  better  than  that.  We  tried  to  double 
back  and  were  met  by  a  dozen  big  dogs,  some  Gallic  dogs  of 
the  breed  of  Tolosa,  spotted  black  and  white,  others  mouse- 
colored  Molossians.  To  escape  them  we  dodged  apart,  each 
ran  for  a  tree,  each  jumped,  each  caught  the  lowest  limb  of 
a  thick-foliaged  maple,  the  two  not  much  over  five  yards 
apart.  So  thick  were  their  leaves  that  I  could  hardly  make 
out  Agathemer  in  his  tree.  The  two  maples  were  close  to 
the  beginning  of  the  pocket  net.  From  my  perch  I  could  see 
plainly  how  cunningly  the  pocket  had  been  set. 

It  was  of  strong,  close-meshed  nets  fully  three  yards  high 
stretched  on  sturdy  forked  stakes  and  well  guyed  back  out- 
side to  pegs  like  tent-pegs.  These  pocketing  nets  were  set 
along  the  tops  of  the  two  banks  of  a  gully  about  twenty  yards 
wide,  sloping  sharply  downward  from  its  top  near  our  trees 
and  with  sides  three  or  four  yards  high  and  steep.  Once  in 
this  gully,  between  the  pocketing  nets  along  the  upper  edge  of 
its  sides,  no  boar  could  scramble  out,  the  lower  meshes  of 
the  pocketing  nets  were  too  fine  for  any  hare  to  squeeze 
through;  no  doe,  no  stag  even,  could  leap  such  nets  at  the 
top  of  such  banks. 

I  could  just  spy  a  part  of  the  heaviest  net  across  the  gully 
at  the  end  of  the  pocket.  It  seemed  a  large  meshed  net  of 
rope  thicker  than  my  knee,  with  the  large  meshes  filled  in 
with  smaller  meshes  of  rope  the  size  of  my  wrist. 

Hardly  was  I  safe  in  the  crotch  of  my  tree  when  the  last 
of  the  game  swept  by  below  us,  the  dogs  hot  behind  them,  up 


THE  HUNT  231 

came  the  press  of  beaters,  and,  from  each  side,  in  rushed  the 
hunters,  a  score  of  handsome  nobles  and  gentry,  habited  in 
green  tunics,  wearing  small,  green,  round-crowned,  narrow- 
brimmed  hunting  hats  and  green  boots  up  to  just  below  their 
knees.  Each  carried  a  heavy  shafted  hunting  spear,  tipped 
with  a  huge  triangular  gleaming  head,  pointed  like  a  needle, 
edged  like  a  razor,  broad  as  a  spade  at  its  flare. 

Even  in  my  terror  and  exhaustion  I  could  not  but  feel  a 
certain  pleasure  in  the  beauty  of  the  scene,  a  sort  of  thrill 
at  its  strangeness.  I  had  participated  in  such  Bunts  in  Brut- 
tium  and  Sabinum,  but  never  as  hunted  game. 

The  sun  was  not  yet  half  way  up  the  heavens,  the  dew. 
had  not  yet  dried  from  the  leaves,  owing  to  the  very  late 
spring  the  freshness  of  springtime  had  not  yet  passed  into 
the  fullness  of  early  summer.  Through  the  tender  green  of 
the  young  leafage,  starry  with  drops  of  moisture,  the  sun- 
shine shot  long  shafts  of  golden  light.  Under  the  beautiful 
canopy  of  blue  sky  and  golden  green  foliage  was  the  amazing 
turmoil  of  the  hunt. 

More  than  a  hundred  large  animals,  pigs,  fawns,  sows, 
does,  boars  and  stags  had  fled  before  the  beaters  and  were  now 
jammed  pellmell  in  the  gully,  for  the  end-net  held.  There 
they  frantically  jostled  each  other  and  the  half  dozen  wolves 
caught  among  them  which,  indeed,  snapped,  slashed  and  tore 
at  everything  within  reach,  but,  cowed  themselves,  had  no 
effect  whatever  on  the  maddened  victims  which  all  but  trod 
them  under  and  actually  trampled  on  foxes  and  on  the  swarm 
of  squeaking,  helpless  hares. 

Upon  this  mass  of  terrified  flesh  the  two  hundred  dogs 
flung  themselves,  through  the  nets  the  huntsmen  stabbed 
at  the  nearest  victims,  behind  the  dogs  the  shouting  hunters 
advanced  to  spear  their  game,  the  battue  was  on  and  I  watched 
it  till  the  last  animal  was  flat.  The  few  which,  frenzied, 
doubled  back  through  the  dogs  and  hunters  were  met  and 
killed  by  the  beaters.  Not  one  escaped. 

As  the  battue  ended  up  came  the  rush  of  beaters  and  our 
trees  were  soon  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  eager,  exultant, 
infuriated  beaters  and  huntsmen. 


232  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Up  the  trees  young  beaters  swarmed  and  we  were  plucked 
down,  thumped,  whacked,  punched,  kicked  and  manacled* 
our  tunics  torn  off,  ourselves  mishandled  till  we  streamed 
blood,  all  amid  abuse,  threats,  epithets,  execrations  and 
curses. 

We  stood,  half  fainting,  utterly  dazed,  supported  by  the 
two  or  three  captors  who  held  each  of  us,  but  for  whose 
clutches  we  should  have  collapsed  on  the  earth. 

We  expected  to  be  torn  limb  from  limb,  yet  could  not  con- 
jecture why  we  were  the  objects  of  such  infuriated  animosity. 
A  beater  clutching  either  elbow,  a  hand  clutching  my  neck 
from  behind,  my  knees  knocking  together,  naked,  bruised, 
bloody,  gasping,  fainting,  I,  like  Agathemer,  was  haled  a 
few  paces  to  one  corner  of  the  pocket  net.  There  we  were 
held  till  the  gentlemen  came  up  out  of  the  gully. 

Up  they  came,  a  score  of  handsome  young  fellows,  mostly 
each  with  his  hat  in  his  hand  and  mopping  his  forehead. 

"Why!"  the  foremost  of  them  cried.  "These  are  not  the 
men!  These  are  not  the  men  at  all!  They  are  not  in  the 
least  like  them !" 

"Not  in  the  least  like  Lupercus  and  Rufinus,  certainly,"  an- 
other added. 

"What  a  pack  of  asses  you  are !"  cried  a  third,  "to  mis- 
handle two  strangers.  Couldn't  you  look  at  them  before  you 
mauled  them?" 

"We  all  took  them  for  Rufinus  and  Lupercus,"  the  head 
huntsman  rejoined.  "Certainly  they  are  desperate  characters 
and  runaways.  Look  at  their  backs." 

They  turned  us  round,  to  display  the  marks  of  scourging 
still  plain  on  us  both. 

"They've  both  been  branded,"  said  a  gentleman's  voice. 

"Pooh!"  cried  another,  "that  proves  nothing.  They  may 
have  been  scourged  and  branded  by  former  masters,  and  man- 
umitted since.  I'll  have  no  stranger  ill-treated  on  my  land 
until  he  has  had  a  chance  to  explain  himself." 

While  he  was  speaking  my  guards  turned  me  round  again 
and  took  their  hands  off  me. 

Our  champion  was  a  tall,  powerful,  plump  and  florid  young 


THE  HUNT  233 

man,  with  very  curly  golden  hair,  very  light  blue  eyes,  and 
the  merest  trace  of  downy,  curly  yellow  beard.  He  was  very 
handsome,  with  small  delicate  nose  and  mouth,  a  round  chin 
and  the  most  beautiful  ears  I  ever  saw  on  any  man.  He 
wore  senators'  boots  and  a  tunic  of  pure  silk,  dyed  a  very 
brilliant  green  and  embroidered  all  over  with  a  flowering 
vine  in  a  darker,  glossier  green. 

"What  are  your  names  ?"  asked  the  elder  man  who  had  no- 
ticed our  brand-marks.  He  was  swarthy  and  probably  over 
thirty. 

I  gave  him  the  name  of  Felix  and  Agathemer  that  of  Asper, 
as  we  had  agreed,  neither  of  us  thinking  it  advisable  to 
claim  to  be  free  Eomans  by  prefixing,  "Sabinus"  and  "Brut- 
tius." 

"Shut  up,  Marcus/'  our  champion  ordered,  "can't  you  see 
that  these  poor  fellows  are  in  no  condition  to  answer  any 
questions?  We'll  interrogate  them  after  they  have  bathed, 
eaten  and  slept." 

"Here,  Trogus,"  he  called  to  one  of  the  chief-huntsman's 
assistants,  "take  charge  of  these  two  fellows.  Treat  them 
well;  if  they  report  any  incivility  or  omission  on  your  part 
I'll  make  you  regret  it.  When  they  are  bathed  and  fed,  let 
them  sleep  all  they  want  to. 

"And,  here,  TJmbro"  (this  to  the  head-huntsman),  "see 
that  their  effects  are  found  and  restored  to  them." 

He  turned  to  us. 

"Did  you  have  wallets?"  he  asked. 

We  nodded,  too  shaken  to  speak. 

"Umbro,"  he  said,  "scour  the  wood.  Have  their  shoes, 
their  cloaks  and  especially  their  wallets  found  and  brought  to 
me.  And  make  sure  that  nothing  is  taken  from  those  wallets, 
that  they  are  handed  to  their  owners  as  they  were  found.  If 
they  find  anything  missing,  I'll  make  you  and  your  men 
smart.  Be  prompt !  Be  lively.  Get  those  wallets  and  cloaks 
and  shoes." 

While  he  gave  these  orders,  some  beaters  brought  us  our 
torn  tunics;  which,  even  so,  were  better  than  no  clothing  at 
all.  We  put  them  on. 


234.  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Then  we  were  led  off  to  the  edge  of  a  forest,  bestowed  in 
a  light  Gallic  gig,  drawn  by  one  tall  roan  mule  only,  and 
in  it,  the  driver  sitting  a,t  our  feet,  sideways,  on  one  shaft,  his 
legs  hanging  down,  we  were  driven  off  through  a  beautiful 
gently  rolling  country,  clothed  with  the  superabundant  crops, 
vines  and  orchards  of  the  lower  Po  Valley,  all  bathed  in 
brilliant  spring  sunshine,  to  a  magnificent  villa,  most  opu- 
lently provided  with  white-walled,  neat  outbuildings,  all 
roofed  with  red  tiles.  In  one  of  these,  apparently  the  house 
of  the  farm-overseer,  we  were  bathed,  clothed  with  fresh 
tunics,  far  better  than  our  own,  lavishly  fed  and  led  to  rest 
in  tiny  white-washed  rooms,  very  plain,  but  clean  and  airy, 
where  we  went  to  sleep  on  corded  cots  provided  with  very 
thin  grass-stuffed  mattresses. 

When  we  woke  each  found  his  wallet  beside  his  cot,  set 
on  his  neatly  folded  cloak;  with  our  old  worn  shoes,  well 
cleaned,  on  the  floor  by  the  folded  cloaks. 

Later  we  were  led  before  our  host  and  champion,  who 
turned  out  to  be  Tarrutenus  Spinellus ;  in  no  wise,  it  seemed, 
affected  by  the  downfall  of  his  great  kinsman.  He  questioned 
us  and  Agathemer  told  the  story  we  had  agreed  on :  that  we 
had  been  slaves  of  Numerius  Vedius  of  Aquileia,  who  had 
been  kind  to  both  of  us  and  had  made  him  overseer  and  me 
accountant  of  his  vegetable  farms  on  the  sandy  islets  offshore 
along  the  coast  of  the  Adriatic  by  Aquileia.  There  we  had 
lived  contentedly  till  we  had  been  captured  by  raiding  Liburn- 
ian  pirates  from  the  Dalmatian  islands.  They  had  sold  us 
at  Ancona,  where  we  had  been  horribly  mistreated  by  a  cruel 
and  savage  master,  who  had  branded  and  scourged  us  for 
imaginary  delinquencies. 

From  him  we  had  run  away,  intent  on  making  our  way 
back  to  Aquileia  and  to  our  rightful  owner. 

"This  all  sounds  plausible/'  said  Tarrutenus,  "and  I  believe 
you,  and  it  falls  out  well.  For  my  cousin,  Cornelius  Vindex, 
will  leave  tomorrow  or  next  day  for  Aquileia  and  you  can 
travel  in  his  company  all  the  way/' 

We  were  well  fed  and  lodged  while  at  Villa  Spinella. 
While  there  we  learned  that  Lupercus  and  Kufinus,  the  two 


THE  HUNT  235 

escaped  malefactors  for  whom  we  had  been  mistaken  by  the 
huntsmen  and  beaters,  had  been  runaway  slaves,  long  un- 
catchable  and  lurking  in  swamps  and  forests,  who  had  lately 
tried  to  rob  at  night  the  store-house  of  a  farmstead :  and  who, 
when  the  farmer  rushed  out  to  defend  his  property,  had  mur- 
dered him  and  even  thereafter,  in  mere  wantonness,  had  also 
murdered  two  of  his  slaves,  his  wife  and  a  young  daughter. 
This  horrible  crime  had  roused  the  whole  countryside  to 
hunt  them  down  and  the  great  battue  in  which  we  had  been 
involved  had  been  organized  at  a  time  of  the  year  most  un- 
usual and  ruinous  to  the  increase  of  deer-hards,  precisely  in 
order  to  snare  the  outlaws  along  with  the  game.  They  had 
not  been  caught  and  we  had. 

After  two  nights'  good  sleep,  and  a  day's  rest,  with  excel- 
lent and  abundant  meals,  we  set  off  at  dawn  in  Cornelius'  con- 
voy, our  precious  amulet-bags  untouched;  our  wallets  just 
as  we  had  flung  them  down  in  the  forest,  not  a  coin  missing; 
and  we  were  clothed  in  new  good  tunics,  our  bruises  pretty 
well  healed  up  or  healing  nicely,  ourselves  well  content  with 
our  escape,  but  meditating  a  second  escape,  this  time  from 
Cornelius. 

For  we  had  no  stomach  for  the  road  to  Aquileia,  if  in 
such  company  that  we  must  present  ourselves  before  Yedius 
as  claiming  to  be  slaves  of  his. 

We  escaped  easily  enough,  just  after  crossing  the  Po, 
by  sneaking  off  in  the  darkness  from  a  villa  where  Cornelius 
stopped  overnight  with  a  friend.  Without  any  difficulty  we 
recrossed  the  Po,  not  far  below  Hostilia,  and  from  there  made 
for  Parma. 

For  we  agreed  that,  after  our  story  to  Tarrutenus,  with 
Cornelius  Vindex  in  Aquileia,  Aquileia  would  be  no  fit  bourne 
for  us.  So  we  decided,  after  all,  to  risk  the  highway  from 
Parma  to  Dertona  and  from  there  make  our  way  across  the 
Ligurian  Mountains  to  Vada  Sabatia  and  from  there  along 
the  highway  to  Marseilles,  where  we  should  be  able  to  hide 
in  the  slums  among  the  mixture  of  all  races  in  that  lively 
city;  and  where  Agathemer  was  sure  he  could  turn  gems 
into  cash  without  danger  or  suspicion. 


236  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

AU  went  well  with  us  till  we  reached  Placentia,  There 
we  put  up  at  an  inn.  As  we  were  leaving  the  town  next 
morning,  when  we  were  about  half  way  from  the  inn  to  the 
Clastidian  Gate,  Agathemer  gripped  my  arm  and  motioned 
me  up  a  side  street.  We  walked  with  every  indication  of 
leisurely  indifference  until  we  had  taken  several  turns  and 
were  alone  in  a  narrow  street.  Then  he  told  me  that  we  had 
barely  missed  coming  face  to  face  with  Gratillus  himself. 

This  barely  missed  encounter  with  one  of  the  most  dreaded 
of  the  Emperor's  spies,  a  man  who  knew  me  perfectly  and  who 
had  always  disliked  me,  so  terrified  both  of  us  that  we  left 
Placentia  by  the  Nuran  Gate  and  made  our  way  southwest- 
ward  into  the  Apennines. 

Once  in  the  mountains  we  avoided  every  good  road  we  saw 
and  kept  to  bad  byways,  until  we  were  completely  lost. 


CHAPTER  XYI 

THE  CAVE 

rilHE  late  spring  or  early  summer  weather  was  hot  and 
JL  clear.  We  had  been  pressing  on  feverishly  and  were 
heated,  tired  and  sleepy,  when,  while  following  a  faint  track 
through  dense  woods,  we  took  a  wrong  turn  and  soon  found 
that  we  had  utterly  lost  our  way.  The  sunlight  was  intensely 
brilliant  and  the  windless  air  sweltering.  Stumbling  over 
rocks  and  through  bushes  was  exhausting.  We  came  upon  a 
little  spring  and  quenched  our  thirst.  Standing  by  it  and 
staring  about  we  noticed  what  looked  like  an  opening  in  an 
inconspicuous  vine-clad  cliff.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  entrance  to 
a  spacious  and,  apparently,  extensive  cave. 

The  outer  opening  was  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  door. 
Though  it  was  well  masked  by  beeches  above  and  cornel 
bushes  below,  such  was  the  position  of  the  sun  and  so  in- 
tense was  the  flood  of  light  it  poured  down  from  the  cloudless 
sky,  that  the  inside  of  the  cave,  for  some  little  distance,  was 


THE  CAVE  237 

faintly  discernible  in  the  glimmer  which  penetrated  there. 
After  our  eyes  had  become  accustomed  to  the  darkness  we 
could  make  out  fairly  well  the  shape  and  proportions  of  the 
first  considerable  grotto. 

From  the  outer  opening  a  passage  about  a  yard  wide  and 
two  yards  high  extended  straight  into  the  cliff  for  about  four 
yards.  There  it  bent  sharply  to  the  right  in  an  elbow.  This 
offset  extended  three  or  four  yards  and  then  bent  to  the  left 
in  a  similar  elbow,  opening  into  a  cavern  more  than  fifteen 
yards  wide,  twice  as  long  or  longer,  and  with  a  roof  of  dim 
white  pendants  like  alabaster,  no  part  of  which  was  less  than 
five  yards  from  the  conveniently  level,  rather  damp  floor, 
while  some  parts  of  it  were  lofty. 

The  two  elbows  in  the  entrance  passage  made  it  impossible 
to  see  into  this  cavern  from  anywhere  out  in  the  woods,  and 
impossible  to  see  out  from  anywhere  inside  it.  Yet,  as  I 
said,  so  brilliant  was  the  sunlight  and  so  favorable  the  position 
of  the  sun  at  the  moment  of  our  entrance  that,  after  the  outer 
dazzle  had  faded  from  inside  our  eyes,  we  could  make  out  the 
form  and  size  of  this  rocky  hall. 

To  the  right  of  the  opening  where  the  outer  passage  ex- 
panded, around  a  jutting  shoulder  of  rock,  we  found  a  recess 
about  three  yards  across  and  nearly  as  deep,  in  which  we  felt 
and  smelt  wood-ashes  and  charred,  half-burnt  wood.  We 
groped  among  the  damp  charcoal,  convincing  ourselves  that 
many  good-sized  fires  had  been  made  there,  but  none  recently. 
We  stood  back  and  regarded  this  recess,  which  was  so  placed 
that  no  gleam  from  any  fire,  however  large,  kindled  in  it, 
could  ever  show  outside  the  cave.  Investigating  the  recess 
yet  again  Agathemer  looked  up  and  pointed.  Above  me,  I 
saw  sky.  The  recess  was  a  natural  fire-place  with  a  natural 
chimney  from  it,  opening  at  a  considerable  height  above. 

To  the  right  of  the  fire-place  recess,  round  another  smaller 
shoulder  of  rock,  was  a  perfectly  vertical  wall  of  smooth 
stone  terminating  just  above  our  reach  at  an  opening  three 
yards  wide  or  more.  The  top  of  the  wall  of  rock  at  the  bottom 
of  the  opening  was  almost  as  straight  as  a  door-sill. 

At  first  we  could  descry  in  the  walls  of  the  cavern  no  other 


238  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

openings  than  the  entrance,  the  chimney  and  this  opening 
above  our  reach,  unless  one  boosted  the  other  up.  From 
under  it  we  went  all  round  the  cave  past  the  fire-place  and  the 
entrance.  The  floor  was  all  damp  or  moist,  no  place  fit  for 
us  to  lie  down  to  sleep  and  we  felt  along  the  wall  opposite 
the  fire-place,  where  the  light  was  too  dim  to  see  at  all.  After 
feeling  for  some  yards  we  emerged  or  came  round  into  a 
less  dusky  space,  where  we  could  see  to  some  extent  and  so  on 
along  the  back  wall  of  the  cave  opposite  the  entrance,  later 
groping  along  the  wall,  when  the  light  failed. 

Some  forty  to  forty-five  yards  from  the  entrance,  at  the 
far  end  of  this  extensive  grotto,  we  came  upon  a  passage,  two 
or  three  yards  wide  and  about  as  high,  leading  further  back 
into  the  bowels  of  the  mountain.  We  groped  into  it  a  few 
steps,  but  it  sloped  sharply  downward  and  was  wet,  so  we 
retreated  out  of  it,  it  being  also  pitch  dark. 

Eeturning  along  the  other  side  of  the  cavern  towards  the 
fire-place  we  came  upon  a  narrow  opening,  less  than  a  yard 
wide  and  not  much  over  a  yard  high.  It  led  into  a  passage 
which  sloped  upwards  and  was  free  from  moisture.  Aga- 
themer  was  for  exploring  it.  I  remonstrated.  He  insisted. 
After  some  expostulation  I  bade  him  stand  at  the  opening, 
which  was  out  of  sight  of  the  gleam  of  daylight  at  the  en- 
trance, being  behind  a  big  shoulder  of  rock  further  in  than 
the  fire-place.  While  he  stood  as  I  told  him  I  went  out  to- 
wards the  middle  of  the  cavern  floor  till  I  could  see  the  fire- 
place, though  very  dimly,  and  the  entrance,  quite  clearly,  by 
the  mellow  glow  at  it  from  the  outer  sunshine  reflected  along 
the  walls  of  the  twice  bent  entrance-passage. 

When  I  had  reached  a  position  from  which  I  could  cer- 
tainly see  the  entrance  and  from  which,  as  Agathemer  told 
me,  I  could  be  seen  by  him,  I  told  him  I  would  stay  there 
while  he  explored  the  little  passage  into  the  side  of  the 
cavern.  I  adjured  him  to  be  cautious  and  not  venture  him- 
self recklessly  in  the  pitch  dark.  He  declared  he  could  feel 
his  way  safely  some  distance  and  be  sure  of  returning.  Thei* 
he  crawled  into  the  narrow  opening. 


THE  CAVE  239 

Before  I  had  waited  long  enough  to  grow  impatient,  I  heard 
him  call: 

"Why,  I  can  see  you  I" 

The  voice  came  not  from  the  direction  of  the  opening  into 
which  he  had  crawled,  but  from  near  the  fire-place. 

"Where  are  you?"  I  called  back. 

"Over  here,"  said  he,  "come  towards  me." 

Advancing  towards  the  voice  and  peering  into  the  dim- 
ness, where  the  light  dispersed  from  the  entrance  made  the 
darkness  of  the  cavern  just  a  little  less  dark  than  blackness, 
I  saw  him  standing  on  the  sill,  as  it  were,  of  the  opening  up  in 
the  wall,  beyond  the  fire-place  as  one  approached  from  the 
entrance,  and  above  the  vertical  wall  of  rock. 

He  had  found  a  passage  just  big  enough  to  crawl  through 
leading  from  the  aperture  up  to  this  species  of  gallery-alcove. 
The  passage  curved  and  was  not  much  over  twenty  yards 
long.  He  pulled  me  up  to  the  gallery  and  we  crawled  back 
tog^her  out  of  the  aperture  by  which  he  had  entered  the 
passage.  The  whole  passage  was  dry,  unlike  the  floor  of  the 
<»ave. 

"I  tell  you  what  we  ought  to  do,"  said  Agathemer,  "let  us 
go  outside  and  gather  armfuls  of  small  leafy  boughs  and 
twigs.  These  we  can  throw  up  into  that  gallery-opening  and 
make  a  fine  bed  there  where  it  is  dry.  Then  we  can  get  a 
good  safe  sleep,  and  we  need  a  long  sound  sleep." 

We  did  as  he  suggested  till  we  had  leaves  enough  for  a 
good  bed.  Then  we  ate,  sparingly,  for  we  had  not  much 
food  in  our  wallets.  After  eating  we  wrapped  ourselves  in 
our  cloaks  and  went  to  sleep;  Agathemer  with  his  wallet 
beside  him  and  his  head  on  his  arm,  I  with  my  wallet  under 
my  head. 

I  wakened  with  a  hand  over  my  mouth  and  with  Aga- 
themer's  voice  in  my  ear  saying : 

"Keep  still !    Lie  still !    Don't  move  or  speak !    Lie  still !" 

He  spoke  in  a  tense  whisper,  so  low  that  I  could  hardly 
understand  him  with  his  mouth  against  my  ear,  so  full  of 
terror  that  the  tone  of  it  startled  me  wide  awake. 


S40  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

My  first  impression  was  of  a  glaring  orange  light  on  the 
roof  of  the  cavern  and  a  diffused  reflection  of  it  or  from  it 
on  the  roof  of  our  gallery-alcove. 

"Keep  your  head  down  I"  Agathemer  whispered.  "If  you 
turn  over,  turn  over  quietly.'5 

I  did  turn  over,  very  slowly,  a  muscle  at  a  time  and  with 
great  precautions  to  avoid  rustling  the  leaves  or  twigs  of  the 
bed  on  which  we  lay. 

As  soon  as  I  turned  over  I  perceived  that  a  good,  big  fire 
must  be  burning  on  the  fire-place  and  that  the  light  on  the 
cavern  roof  was  the  direct  glare  from  that,  while  the  subdued 
glow  on  the  roof  of  our  alcove  was  the  light  reflected  from 
the  farther  wall  of  the  cavern  or  from  its  roof. 

As  our  alcove  was  separated  from  the  fire  by  a  jutting 
pillar  of  rock,  no  direct  light  from  the  fire  fell  on  its  open- 
ing ;  it  and  we  were  well  in  the  shadow.  So  shadowed  we  could 
hunch  ourselves  forward  as  far  as  we  dared  and  peer  down 
into  the  cave. 

Its  floor  was  littered  with  wallets,  blankets,  staffs  and  other 
foot-farers'  gear.  About  it  sat  groups  of  men,  every  one  with 
a  sheath-knife  or  dagger  in  his  belt.  I  counted  forty  and 
there  were  more  out  of  sight  round  the  shoulder  of  rock  be- 
tween our  alcove  and  the  fire-place. 

We  smelt  flesh  roasting  or  boiling.  The  squatting  groups 
seemed  busy  with  preparations  for  a  meal. 

The  men,  except  one  lad  like  a  shepherd,  did  not  look 
Italian.  Some  struck  me  as  Spanish,  others  as  Gallic,  one  or 
two  as  runaway  slaves  of  mongrel  ancestry.  Nearly  all  of 
them  had  the  unmistakable  carriage  and  bearing  of  soldiers, 
even  specifically  of  soldiers  of  out-of-the-way  garrisons,  in 
the  mountains  or  on  frontiers.  Yet  their  behavior  was  un- 
soldierly.  I  judged  them  discharged  campaigners  with  an 
admixture  of  deserters  and  outlaws.  They  all  had  travellers' 
umbrella  hats,  and  all  had  thrown  them  off;  their  cloaks 
were  coarse  and  rough,  many  torn,  but  none  patched,  their 
tunics  similar ;  their  boots  of  Gallic  fashion,  coming  up  nearly 
to  the  knee,  like  Sicilian  hunting-boots.  They  were  all  black- 
haired  and  shock -headed,  all  swarthy,  and  most  of  them  tf 


THE  CAVE 

medium  height  and  solidly  built.  They  did  not  talk  loud 
and  they  all  talked  at  once,  so  that  we  made  out  little  of  what 
was  said  and  nothing  informing. 

I  could  not  but  remark  that,  although  the  weather  was  ex- 
ceedingly hot  and  the  fire  seemed  large,  it  made  no  difference 
whatever  in  the  feeling  of  the  very  slightly  damp,  gratefully 
cool  and  evenly  mild  air  of  the  cavern. 

Presently  the  food  was  ready  and  was  distributed:  goafs- 
flesh,  roasted  or  broiled,  some  sort  of  coarse  bread  or  quickly- 
made  cakes,  wine  aplenty,  olives  and  figs.  While  they  ate 
most  of  them  sat  in  groups;  some  stood  by  twos  or  threes; 
a  few  stood  singly.  From  their  looks,  attitudes,  the  direction 
in  which  they  faced  and  other  indications,  we  inferred  that 
their  chief  was  seated  to  the  right  of  the  fire,  "between  it 
and  us,  with  his  back  to  the  pillar  of  rock  and  just  out  of  sight 
of  us  around  it.  Some  appeared  to  be  standing  in  a  half- 
circle  before  him,  listening  to  him,  or  conversing  with  him.  A 
few  of  the  men  ate  alone,  sitting,  standing  or  walking  about. 

One  of  these,  munching  a  while  as  he  strolled  back  and 
forth,  came  and  took  his  stand  behind  and  outside  of  the  re- 
spectful half  circle,  standing  facing  the  fire.  When  he  finished 
eating  and  his  face  quieted  as  he  stood  there  silent,  gazing  at 
something  out  of  our  sight,  all  at  once,  simultaneously,  I 
gripped  Agathemer  and  he  gripped  me.  The  fellow  was  Cau- 
lonius  Pelops,  two  years  before  secretary  to  the  overseer  of 
my  uncle's  estate  near  Consentia  in  Bruttium.  He  had  run 
away  not  long  before  my  uncle's  death. 

I  stared  at  him,  revolving  in  my  mind  the  difference  of 
the  attitude  of  mind  towards  runaway  slaves  of  a  former 
master  who  catches  sight  of  a  runaway  from  his  estates  and 
of  the  same  being  while  pretending  himself  to  be  a  runaway. 
I  could  have  laughed  out  loud  at  the  contrast  between  the 
feelings  towards  Pelops  which  I  felt  surge  up  in  me  and  the 
feelings  I  hoped  for  towards  me,  say  in  Tarrutenus  Spinellus. 

Pelops,  of  course,  knew  me  perfectly,  knew  Agathemer  as 
well,  would  recognize  either  of  us  at  sight.  Therefore,  if 
we  were  now  discovered,  we  saw  lost  all  that  we  had  thought 
ito  gain  and  thought  we  had  gained  by  our  crawl  through 


242  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  drain  pipe  and  the  other  features  of  our  escape  up  to 
now.  If  Pelops  set  eyes  on  me,  he,  at  least,  would  know 
that  I  was  yet  alive,  he  might  tell  all  the  band;  if  he  told 
them,  any  one  of  them,  even  if  not  he  himself,  might  inform 
the  authorities  and  put  new  life  into  the  search  for  me,  if  it 
had  not  been  abandoned,  or  revive  it  if  it  had ;  put  every  spy 
in  Italy  on  the  alert  to  catch  me:  or  even  betray  me  to  the 
nearest  magistrate. 

And  Pelops  had  always  disliked  me  and  had  always  envied 
and  hated  Agathemer.  We  were  keyed  up  with  anxiety. 

Just  as  we  recognized  Pelops  a  tall,  red-headed,  sandy  lout, 
with  a  long  neck  and  a  prominent  gullet-knot,  came  forward 
into  sight  from  the  direction  of  the  entrance,  apparently  from 
beyond  the  fire.  He  put  up  his  right  hand  and  called,  slowly 
and  clearly: 

"Eating  time  is  over :    Now  we  hold  council  I" 

The  men  speedily  assembled  in  curving  rows  facing  the 
fire  and  sat  or  stood  as  they  pleased,  all  facing  where  we  in- 
ferred that  their  leader  sat,  to  the  right  of  the  fire-place  out  of 
our  sight  round  the  bulge  of  the  shoulder  of  rock. 

Between  them  and  the  fire,  just  far  enough  from  it  for 
him  to  be  visible  to  us,  a  burly  shock-headed,  black-haired 
southern  Gaul  took  his  stand. 

Then  we  clearly  heard  a  voice,  which  we  inferred  must  be 
the  leader's,  a  voice  distinct  and  far-carrying,  but  a  voice 
amazingly  soft,  mild  and  gentle,  say: 

"Council  is  called.  Let  all  other  men  be  silent.  Caburus 
is  to  speak." 

The  burly  Gaul  began  blusteringly,  with  a  strong  southern 
Gallic  accent  like  a  Tolosan : 

"It  is  no  use,  Maternus,  trying  to  bamboozle  us  with  your 
everlasting  serenity.  We  decline  to  be  fooled  any  longer. 
Somehow,  by  sorcery  or  magic,  you  infused  into  us  the  great- 
est enthusiasm  for  your  crazy  project.  You've  dragged  us 
over  the  Alps  and  into  these  Apennines.  On  the  way  we've 
talked  matters  over  among  ourselves.  The  nearer  we  get  to 
Rome  the  crazier  our  errand  seems.  We  have  made  fools  of 


THE  CAVE  243 

ourselves  under  your  leadership  long  enough.  We  go  no 
further. 

"We  admit  that  Commodus  ought  to  be  killed;  we  admit 
that,  if  he  were  killed,  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for  all  Gaul 
and  for  Spain  and  Britain,  too,  and,  we  suppose,  for  Italy 
and  all  the  provinces.  We  also  admit  that  it  would  be  a  fine 
thing  for  us  if  we  could  kill  Commodus,  avoid  getting  killed 
or  caught  ourselves,  and  win  the  rewards  we  could  properly 
hope  for  from  the  next  Emperor,  and  the  glory  we'd  have 
at  home  as  successful  heroes. 

"But,  when  free  from  the  spell  of  your  eloquence,  we  see 
no  chance  of  killing  the  Emperor  and  surviving  to  reap  the 
reward  of  our  prowess:  none  of  surviving:  not  even  any  of 
killing  him.  You  say  you  have  a  perfect  and  infallible  plan 
which  you  will  reveal  when  the  time  comes.  You  may  have 
a  plan  and  it  may  be  infallible  and  as  certain  of  success  as 
the  sun  is  certain  of  rising  tomorrow  and  the  day  after.  But 
we  have  followed  you  and  your  secret  plan  long  enough.  We 
follow  no  further  unless  we  know  what  plan  we  are  expected 
to  take  part  in.  We  have  all  agreed  to  that  and  we  all  stick 
to  that." 

And  the  assemblage  chorused: 

"We  have  all  agreed  to  that  and  we  all  stick  to  that/' 

Now,  from  where  we  peered  down  from  our  hiding-place 
Maternus  was  entirely  out  of  sight.  We  could  not  see  what 
attitude  he  took  nor  what  expression  his  face  wore.  Yet,  by 
the  flickering  light  of  the  leaping  fire,  which  flooded  the 
cavern  with  its  ruddy  glare,  we  could  plainly  see  the  effect 
of  his  personality  on  the  assemblage.  Even  as  their  shouts  of 
assent  to  what  Caburus  had  said  still  rang  through  the  cave 
I  could  see  them  half  fawning,  half  cringing  towards  their 
chief. 

Yet  his  voice,  when  he  spoke,  was  not  harsh  or  domineering, 
but,  while  perfectly  audible,  as  bland  and  placid  as  a  girl's. 

"Please  remember,"  he  said,  "that  a  plan  such  as  I  have 
conceived,  while  it  is,  if  carried  out  as  designed,  as  certain 
of  success  as  the  swoop  of  the  hawk  upon  the  hare,  is  certain 
of  success  only  while  it  is  not  only  undreamed  of  by  its  object 


244  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

but  totally  unsuspected  by  anyone  outside  of  our  band.  The 
success  of  our  project  depends  on  no  one  having  any  inkling 
of  any  such  project,  far  less  having  an  inkling  of  what  kind  of 
a  project  it  is. 

"For  your  sakes  and  for  your  sakes  only  have  I  kept  the 
details  of  my  plans  locked  in  my  own  bosom.  You  are  ventur- 
ing your  lives  to  help  me  to  the  realization  of  my  hopes  of 
setting  free  the  world.  Your  lives  must  not  be  risked  need- 
lessly. Little  will  be  the  risk  any  of  you  will  run  in  carrying 
out  my  plans,  so  ingeniously  are  they  conceived.  But  that 
smallness  of  risk  can  be  attained  only  if  the  nature  of  the 
project  is  unknown  to  anyone  save  myself  up  to  the  latest  pos- 
sible moment  before  putting  it  into  effect.  Every  day,  every 
hour,  which  elapses  between  the  giving  of  my  instructions  and 
their  execution  increases  the  danger  of  our  betrayal.  We  must 
have  guides,  we  must,  occasionally,  induct  into  our  society 
new  associates.  Not  one  of  these  can  be  a  danger  to  us  as 
long  as  the  methods  by  which  we  are  to  effect  our  purpose 
is  unknown  except  to  me.  I  propose  no  loitering  in  Eome.  I 
mean  to  arrive  at  the  right  spot  at  the  right  hour,  at  the  hour 
of  opportunity,  to  strike  and  to  vanish  before  anyone  save 
ourselves  knows  that  the  blow  has  been  struck.  Only  thus  can 
we  succeed,  only  thus  can  we  escape.  Upon  my  silence  our 
success  depends.  Once  I  speak,  every  day,  every  hour  makes 
it  more  likely  that  someone  will  betray  to  some  outsider  the 
nature  of  our  plot  or  even  its  details.  Then  we  shall  certainly 
fail  and  perish." 

Thereupon  ensued  a  long  wrangle  in  which  Caburus  re- 
peated that  Maternus  had  said  all  that  before  and  Maternus 
repeated  the  same  argument  in  other  words  and  brought  up 
other  similar  arguments.  The  crowd,  while  swayed  by  Ma- 
ternus, appeared  to  lean  more  and  more  to  the  opinions  of 
Caburus.  It  became  manifest  that  they  would  break  away 
and  disperse  unless  Maternus  revealed  his  intentions.  He  was, 
apparently,  quick  to  sense  the  situation  and  finally  yielded. 

"I  have  three  separate  plans,"  he  said,  "and  I  mean  to  pre- 
pare to  use  all  three,  so  that,  if  the  first  fails  the  second  may 


THE  CAVE  245 

succeed;  if  both  the  first  and  second  fail  I  may  hope  to 
succeed  with  the  third. 

"I  mean  to  reach  Rome  two  days  before  the  Festival  of 
Cybele  and  for  all  of  us  to  get  a  sound  night's  sleep.  Then, 
on  the  eve  of  the  great  day,  most  of  you  may  wander  about 
the  city  sight-seeing;  Caburus  and  I  and  a  few  with  us  will 
buy  or  hire  costumes  for  the  Festival. 

"As  we  have  all  heard,  the  wildest  license  in  costumes  is 
permitted  on  the  day  of  the  celebration.  Everybody  dresses 
up  as  extravagantly  as  possible.  More  than  that  it  is  so  cus- 
tomary for  jokers  to  dress  up  in  burlesque  of  notables  that 
such  assumptions  of  the  costumes  of  officials  are  merely 
laughed  at  and  the  wearers  of  them  are  never  arrested  or 
even  reprimanded. 

"Caburus  and  I  will  buy  at  old-clothing  shops  or  hire  from 
costumers  cast  off  uniforms  of  the  privates  of  the  Praetorian 
Guard.  Two  squads  of  us,  all  volunteers  and  approved  as 
boldest,  strongest  and  quickest,  will  dress  up  as  Praetorians. 
One  will  be  led  by  Caburus  and  I  myself  shall  lead  the  other. 

"Caburus  and  his  men  will  mingle  with  the  crowd  along  the 
line  of  the  morning  procession.  The  procession  is  so  long,  its 
route  is  so  jammed  with  sight-seeing  rabble,  the  rabble  is  per- 
mitted so  close  to  the  line  of  the  procession,  so  many  won- 
ders and  marvels  form  part  of  the  procession,  there  is  so  much 
interest  in  gazing  at  them,  that  it  is  possible  that  Caburus  may 
see  a  chance  to  achieve  our  object.  I  shall  leave  it  to  him 
whether  to  give  whatever  signal  he  may  agree  on  with  his 
men,  or  to  withhold  it.  If  he  sees  an  opportunity,  that  will 
mean  that,  in  his  judgment,  there  is  a  good  chance  of  killing 
the  tyrant  and  getting  away  unrecognized.  You  know  how 
cautious  Caburus  is :  you  will  run  no  risk  if  he  does  not  give 
the  signal  and  little  if  he  does. 

"Now,  Caburus,  what  do  you  think  of  this  plan?5' 

,Not  being  able  lo  watch  Maternus  making  his  speech,  I, 
while  straining  my  ears  to  catch  his  softly  uttered  words,  had 
kept  my  eyes  on  Caburus,  had  marvelled  to  see  the  dogged 
spirit  of  opposition  and  surly  disaffection  fade  out  of  his 


246  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

expression,  to  see  interest  and  excitement  take  their  place. 

"I  think/'  he  shouted,  "that  you  are  a  marvel!  I  don't 
wonder  that  you  wanted  to  conceal  this  plan  till  the  last  pos- 
sible moment.  It  is  so  good  that  I  already  want  to  tell  it  to 
somebody,  just  to  see  his  amazement.  But  we'll  keep  your 
secret !  And  as  to  your  plan,  I'll  risk  it.  No  Gaul  with  a  drop 
of  sporting  blood  in  his  veins  would  hesitate  to  embrace  the 
opportunity  to  try  to  carry  out  so  ingenious,  so  promising  a 
plan. 

"And  you  don't  need  a  second  plan  or  third  plan.  This 
plan,  under  my  leadership,  is  certain  to  succeed." 

At  this  a  scrawny,  tow-headed,  long-armed,  long-legged  fel- 
low sprang  to  his  feet. 

"I  don't  agree  with  that  at  all,"  he  vociferated. 

"Just  because  the  first  plan  pleases  Caburus  is  no  reason 
why  we  should  not  hear  the  other  two  plans  also." 

This  utterance  started  a  long  discussion,  irona  which 
Agathemer  and  I  learned  nothing  except  that  there  was  much 
j  insubordination  among  the  men  following  Maternus  and  that 
the  scrawny  objector  was  named  Torix. 

The  upshot  of  the  discussion  was  a  general  agreement  that 
Maternus  ought  to  disclose  all  three  plans. 

Maternus  then  resumed: 

"The  second  plan  is  already  known  to  Cossedo  and  it  need 
not  be  known  to  anyone  else,  as  he  alone  is  concerned  and  he, 
if  Caburus  decides  not  to  make  his  attempt,  will  attempt  his 
alone,  without  any  assistance  from  anyone  and  without  en- 
dangering anyone  else;  in  fact  without  endangering  himself. 
I  myself  thought  of  this  plan,  which  is  so  ingenious  that,  if  it 
succeeds,  no  one  will  ever  know  how  Commodus  came  to  his 
death;  it  if  fails  no  one  will  ever  suspect  that  it  was  tried  at 
all. 

"You  have  all  been  wondering  how  Cossedo  came  to  be  with 
•us.  Many  of  you  have  jeered  him ;  many  of  you  have  protested 
to  me.  But  I  know  what  I  am  doing.  Cossedo  can  do  other 
things  besides  walk  the  tight-rope,  juggle  five  balls  at  once, 
and  stand  on  his  head  on  the  back  of  a  galloping  horse.  He 
is  just  the  right  man  to  carry  out  my  idea,  which  neither  I  no£ 


THE  CAVE 

any  other  of  us  could  put  into  effect.    As  Cossedo  approves  the 
plan ;  as  he  is  to  try  it  alone,  no  one  else  need  know  it." 

"Just  so/'  cried  the  red-headed  lout  who  had  heralded  the 
council,  coming  forward  into  the  fire-light.  "I  can  try  it 
and  I  may  do  it.  If  I  do  it,  Commodus  will  be  a  corpse.  If 
I  fail,  no  one  will  know  I  have  tried.  And  it  is  a  jewel  of  a 
plan." 

And  he  stood  on  his  hands,  feet  waggling  in  the  air,  ap- 
parently from  mere  exuberance  of  spirits.  Standing  up  again, 
he  threw  three  flip-flops  forward,  then  two  backward,  then 
turned  a  half  a  dozen  cart  wheels,  during  which  gyrations 
he  passed  out  of  our  field  of  view. 

Torix  sulkily  agreed  that  the  second  plan  remain  unknown 
except  to  Ma.ternus  and  Cossedo,  the  assemblage  not  sup- 
porting him  when  he  pressed  for  its  disclosure.  But  he  was 
insistent  about  the  third  plan. 

•"The  third  plan/'  said  Maternus,  "is  merely  the  first  plan 
over  again,  except  that  I  lead  instead  of  Caburus  and  that  we 
try  after  dark  instead  of  by  day.  From  all  I  can  hear  the  op- 
portunity will  be  even  better  by  torchlight  in  the  gardens 
about  the  temple  than  it  will  be  by  day  in  the  jammed  streets. 
I  mean  to  be  as  cautious  as  I  expect  Caburus  to  be:  there  is 
no  use  making  an  attempt  unless  a  really  promising  chance 
presents  itself.  If  I  see  an  opening  I'll  kill  the  monster  my- 
self, and  I  do  not  expect  to  need  any  help  from  anybody,  ex- 
cept a  little  jostling  in  the  crowd  to  increase  the  confusion. 
As  rigged  up  in  Praetorian  uniforms  we  will  be  laughed 
at  and  indulged.  Either  in  the  noonday  swelter  or  in  the 
torchlit  darkness  it  ought  to  be  easy  to  pass  from  aping, 
mimicking  and  burlesquing  Pratorians  to  personating  and 
counterfeiting  Praetorians.  Once  mistaken  for  real  guards 
•we  ought  to  be  able  to  get  close  to  Commodus.  Then  in  the 
torchlight  it  should  be  easy  for  me  to  finish  him  and  for  you 
others  to  escape.  I  shall  not  think  of  escape  until  the  deed 
is  done.  Then  I'll  escape,  if  I  can,  but  I  shall  let  no  thought 
of  escape  interfere  with  my  doing  what  I  purpose." 

This  speech  was  acclaimed  by  everyone  except  Torix.  Ht 
said: 


248  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"All  this  is  most  ingenious.  But  there  is  in  this  plan  one 
flaw  which  no  one  has  noted.  I  suppose  that  you,  Maternus, 
evolved  this  really  promising  idea  from  pondering  on  what 
Claudius  told  us.  All  the  hearsay  about  Eome  and  its  festivals 
which  ever  came  to  the  ears  of  all  of  us  put  together  is  as 
nothing  at  all  compared  with  what  Claudius  told  us  in  two 
months.  Claudius  had  lived  in  Rome,  Claudius  knew  every 
alley  in  Rome.  With  Claudius  to  pilot  us  we  might  have 
hoped  to  succeed.  But  Claudius  is  dead,  dead  somewhere  in 
the  Alps,  where  he  is  no  use  to  us.  He  had  seen  the  Emperor, 
he  knew  him  by  sight.  Not  one  of  us  does.  And,  as  Claudius 
told  us,  at  the  Festival  of  Cybele,  as  at  several  other  re- 
ligious festivals,  the  Emperor  does  not  wear  his  official  robes, 
go  that  anyone  may  recognize  him,  but  appears  in  the  garb  of 
a  priest  of  the  deity  celebrated,  as  High  Priest  or  Assistant 
High  Priest,  or  as  a  dignitary  of  some  other  degree,  the  rank 
in  the  hierarchy  varying  with  the  diety  worshipped. 

Now  not  one  of  us,  who  have  never  set  eyes  on  him,  can  tell 
Commodus,  in  the  garb  of  a  priest  of  Cybele,  from  any  other 
priest  of  Cybele.  We  have  no  reasonable  assurance  of  rec- 
ognizing the  mark  at  which  we  aim.  Thus  we  have  only  a 
small  chance  of  success  by  sunlight  or  torchlight." 

This  utterance  started  another  wrangle;  the  men,  appar- 
ently, about  equally  divided  as  backers  of  Maternus  and  of 
Torix.  As  I  lay  listening  to  this  hubbub  someone  stepped 
on  the  calf  of  my  leg,  his  foot  slipped  off  of  it,  and  he  fell  on 
top  of  me,  with  a  smothered  exclamation. 

"Who  are  you  ?"  he  demanded,  adding  some  words  which  I 
did  not  catch.  It  seemed  that  another  man  was  occupied 
similarly  with  Agathemer. 

The  man  who  had  fallen  on  me,  in  the  act  of  scrambling  up, 
yelled  out: 

"Here  are  two  men  lying  and  listening  and  they  do  not 
seem  to  belong  to  us.  They  do  nol  respond  to  the  pass-word." 

At  that  every  voice  stilled  and  every  face  turned  to  our  al- 
cove-balcony where  our  captors,  now  four,  gripped  us  and  had 
lifted  us  to  our  knees. 


THE  CAVE  249 

"Throw  'em  down!"  came  a  chorus  of  voices,  "throw  'em 
down !" 

Down  we  were  thrown,  none  too  tenderly,  but  we  landed 
without  breaking  any  bones. 

Two  men  clutched  each  of  us  and  haled  us  towards  the  fire. 
There  we  had  our  first  glimpse  of  Maternus,  who  sat  on  a 
pack,  his  back  against  the  rock,  not  too  close  to  the  fire,  the 
light  of  which  played  on  his  left  cheek. 

He  looked  plump  and  lazy. 

"Strip  them,"  he  commanded. 

As  he  was  being  obeyed  somebody  did  something  to  the  fire 
which  increased  the  light  it  gave. 

"Turn  them  round/'  Maternus  commanded.  "Humph,"  he 
commented,  "by  their  faces  they  are  a  Roman  gentleman  and 
his  Greek  secretary;  by  their  backs  they  are  fugitive  slaves 
with  bad  records." 

"They  are  both  branded/'  added  Torix,  who  had  been  in- 
specting us. 

"Where?"  queried  Maternus.  "I  don't  see  any  brand 
marks." 

"On  the  left  shoulder,  each  of  them,"  Torix  replied. 

"Humph!"  Maternus  commented,  "rascally  slaves  and  in- 
dulgent master,  or  canny  owner  of  valuable,  if  restive,  prop- 
erty." 

Just  as  he  said  this  there  was  a  yell  at  our  left  and  Caulo- 
nius  Pelops  rushed  in  from  somewhere  beyond  the  firelight, 
probably  from  outside  the  cave. 

"Here's  the  solution  of  our  dilemma,"  he  cried.  "We  are  all 
right  now.  We've  two  men  who  know  Commodus  by  sight. 
This  is  Andivius  Hedulio,  my  former  master's  nephew,  and 
the  other  is  his  secretary,  Agathemer." 

"What,  in  the  name  of  Mithras,"  Maternus  breathed,  "is 
your  master's  nephew  doing  in  a  cave  in  the  Apennines,  with 
his  back  all  scourge-marks  and  a  runaway-slave  brand  on  his 
shoulder?" 

Then  ensued  a  long  series  of  questions  and  answers,  in  the 
course  of  which  Agathemer  and  I  pretty  well  told  our  story. 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Maternus  asked  the  assemblage  whether  they  believed  us 
and  the  consensus  was  that  they  believed  us  and  Pelops,  who 
reminded  them  that  Claudius  had  read  to  them  lists  of  those 
involved  in  conspiracies,  who  had  been  executed  or  banished 
and  their  properties  confiscated;  that  my  name  had  been 
among  those  he  read ;  and  that  he,  Pelops,  had  then  told  about 
me ;  all  of  which  most  of  them  did  not  recollect  at  all,  and  the 
few  who  claimed  to  recollect  it  recollected  only  vaguely. 

Maternus,  in  his  mild  way,  suggested  that  we  would  make 
valuable  additions  to  their  association.  Torix  opposed  the 
idea,  but  Maternus  pointed  out  that  no  one  of  them  had  as 
much  to  gain  by  the  Emperor's  death  as  I  had :  that  after  it  I 
might  hope  to  be  restored  to  my  rank  and  wealth,  and  that, 
after  my  miseries,  I  ought  to  hate  Commodus  more  viciously 
than  any  of  them.  The  assemblage  approved,  and,  while  throat- 
cutting  was  not  mentioned,  as  that  was  the  obvious  alterna- 
tive, Agathemer  and  I  took  oath  as  brothers  in  the  confra- 
ternity. 

Upon  this  we  were  released  and  our  wallets,  cloaks,  hats  and 
staffs,  which  had  been  deposited  before  Maternus,  were  re- 
stored to  us.  But  Maternus  informed  us  that  no  member  of 
the  band  was  allowed  any  money  of  his  own.  We  must  give 
tip  to  him  any  coins  we  had. 

Agathemer  spread  his  cloak,  spread  mine  on  it,  and  upon  it 
I  emptied  my  wallet,  that  all  might  see  its  contents.  I  was 
allowed  to  retain  everything,  except  the  denarii.  Agathemer 
did  the  like,  with  the  like  result.  But  at  the  sight  of  his 
flageolet  there  were  exclamations  and  questions.  He  kept  it 
out  when  he  repacked  his  belongings,  only  giving  the  coins  to 
Maternus.  After  we  had  fed  he  played  tunes  on  it,  to  the  de- 
light of  the  whole  band.  It  seemed  to  me  they  would  never 
let  him  stop  playing  that  flageolet  and  I  was  desperately 
drowsy. 

At  last  all  were  for  sleep.  Maternus  decreed  that  Agathe- 
mer and  I  might  climb  up  again  on  the  dry  shelf  where  we 
had  been  found.  Neither  he  nor  any  of  the  band  seemed  to 
object  to,  or  indeed  to  notice,  the  dampness  of  the  cave  floor. 

Agathemer  and  I  slept  at  once.    Our  precious  amulet-bajjs, 


THE  FESTIVAL  251 

of  course,  had  not  been  investigated,  or  so  much  as  suspected, 
and  were  safe  on  our  neck-thongs. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  FESTIVAL 

THUS  most  strangely,  and  through  no  fault  of  mine,  I 
found  myself  a  full  fledged  formally  sivoni  member  of  a 
conspiracy  against  the  life  of  Commodus. 

Maternus,  whether  from  innate  considerateness  or  because 
it  happened  to  coincide  with  his  plans,  let  us  have  our  sleep 
out  and  wake  naturally.  We  woke  hungry  and  fed  with  the 
whole  band,  totalling  forty-nine  with  ourselves,  according  to 
my  count  and  to  the  statement  of  Pelops.  He  was  most  ab- 
surdly, but  naturally,  more  than  a  little  shy  and  bashful  at 
finding  himself  in  a  position  of  complete  equality  with  me. 
As  we  ate  he  narrated  his  reasons  for  running  away  and  how 
he  had  escaped  to  Clampetia,  from  there  on  a  fishing-boat  to 
Sarcapus  in  Sardinia,  and  from  there  on  a  trading  ship  to- 
Marseilles.  There  he  had  attached  himself  to  a  slave-dealer 
and  with  him  had  travelled  to  Tolosa  and  Narbo,  where  he 
had  gotten  into  trouble  and  had  fled  to  the  mountains.  There 
he  had  joined  some  outlaws,  who  had  joined  Maternus. 

The  fellows  who  had  found  me  and  Agathemer  told  cheer- 
fully how  the  shepherd  lad,  their  local  guide,  who  knew 
nothing  of  them  except  that  they  were  accepted  associates  of 
some  local  mountain  brigands,  had  been  showing  them  the 
inner  passages  of  the  cave,  into  which  Agathemer  and  I  had 
not  ventured,  and,  on  their  return,  had  proposed  to  lead  them, 
up  the  side-passage  to  the  outlook-opening.  There  they  had 
trodden  on  us  and  so  captured  us. 

After  eating  we  set  out  on  our  way  southwards  to  Rome. 

On  the  march,  inevitably,  I  became  acquainted  with  Ma- 
ternus and  marvelled  at  that  most  amazing  man.  I  had  heard 
of  him,  of  course,  for  his  exploits  as  mutineer,  outlaw,  insur- 


252  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

gent  and  rebel  had  made  him  notorious,  not  only  in  Spain 
and  Gaul,  but  in  Italy,  even  among  the  circles  of  society  amid 
which  I  moved  by  inheritance.  His  reputation  for  strength, 
vigor,  valor,  resolution,  ruthlessness,  ferocity  and  cunning 
had  made  me  picture  him  as  different  as  possible  from  what 
he  really  was. 

He  was  neither  tall  nor  burly  and  nothing  about  him  gave 
any  hint  of  the  great  strength  for  which  he  was  reputed  and 
which,  on  occasion,  I  have  seen  him  exert.  Only  one  man  of 
the  band  was  shorter  than  Maternus  and  no  other  looked  so 
much  the  reverse  of  hard  and  tough. 

Maternus,  in  fact,  looked  soft.  His  very  outline  was  plump, 
his  feet  and  hands  small,  his  toes  and  fingers  delicate.  He 
was  not  a  handsome  man,  but  he  was  by  no  means  ill-looking 
and  in  some  respects  was  almost  boyish,  or  even  girlish.  He 
had  glossy,  straight  brown  hair,  soft  brown  eyes,  a  complexion 
almost  infantile  in  its  rosy  freshness,  and  all  his  features  were 
small,  his  ears  close  to  his  head,  his  mouth  even  tiny,  his  nose 
likewise :  and  withal,  Maternus  was  habitually  mild,  serene  of 
expression,  slow  and  soft  of  speech,  and  deliberate  in  all  his 
movements.  I  never  heard  him  raise  his  voice  or  speak  or  act 
hurriedly  or  urgently. 

Of  course,  I  had  been  dumbfounded  to  find  him  in  Italy  and 
in  the  Apennines  when  everybody  supposed  him  a  hunted 
fugitive,  hiding  in  the  Pyrenees  or  the  Cevennes;  or  even, 
perhaps,  in  the  wilds  of  North  Spain.  Still  more  was  I 
amazed  at  the  boldness  of  a  man  who  could  conceive  such 
plans  for  assassinating  the  Prince  of  our  Eepublic  and  could 
feel  serenely  confident  of  being  able  to  execute  them. 

He  was  perfectly  open  with  me.  He  had  been  a  worshipper 
and  adorer  of  Aurelius.  If  Aurelius  had  lived  to  a  reasonable 
old  age,  he  averred,  the  Republic  would  have  been  firmly  estab- 
lished, the  Empire  solidified,  the  administration  purified  and 
the  frontiers  defended.  Everything  that  had  happened  in  the 
past  five  years  he  blamed  on  Commodus.  It  was  the  indiffer- 
ence of  Commodus  which  had  ruined  the  administration  of 
the  army,  so  that  incompetent,  dishonest,  and  tyrannical  un- 


THE  FESTIVAL  253 

i 

der-officers  drove  young  patriots  like  himself  into  mutiny,  out- 
lawry and  their  consequences.  Had  Commodus  been  a  capable 
ruler  he  and  his  fellow  malcontents  would  have  been  listened 
to,  placated  and  sent  off,  aflame  with  patriotic  enthusiasm  and 
bent  on  redeeming  their  past  records,  to  hurl  back  from  the 
hardest-pressed  part  of  our  frontiers  the  most  dangerous  foes 
of  the  Republic.  Upon  Commodus  he  blamed  his  mutiny,  all 
the  atrocities  he  had  committed  in  the  course  of  his  insur- 
rections, and  all  the  blood  he  had  shed,  as  well  as  all  the  towns 
he  had  sacked  and  burnt  in  the  course  of  his  raids;  also  on 
Commodus  he  blamed  the  destruction  of  his  army  of  insur- 
gents. 

He  freely  discussed  with  me  his  plans  for  assassinating 
Commodus.  I  could  not  deny  that  they  were  brilliantly  con- 
ceived. 

Almost  equally  brilliant  I  thought  his  management  of  his 
expedition.  From  where  I  joined  it,  near  the  crest  of  the 
Apennines,  somewhere  between  the  head-waters  of  the  Trebia 
and  the  Nura,  we  advanced  on  Rome  as  rapidly  as  footfarers 
could  travel.  In  the  Ligurian  Apennines,  until  we  had 
crossed  the  upper  tributaries  of  the  Tarus,  the  Macra  and  the 
Auser,  and  were  between  Luna  and  Pistoria,  we  travelled  all 
together,  tramping  all  night  in  single  file  after  a  guide  and 
sleeping  all  day  in  well  hidden  camps.  Everywhere  we  were 
well  fed.  Nowhere  did  we  lose  our  way  or  meet  anyone  not 
forewarned  and  friendly.  It  was  as  if  the  highwaymen,  brig- 
ands and  outlaws  of  the  whole  Empire  had  formed  an  associa- 
tion, so  that  any  of  them  could  travel  secretly  anywhere  by 
the  help  of  those  of  the  regions  which  they  crossed.  We  ad- 
vanced as  if  swift  and  reliable  runners  had  preceded  us,  ad- 
vised of  our  approach  the  outlaws  of  each  district  and  they 
had  prepared  to  entertain  us  and  to  forward  us  on  our  way. 

From  somewhere  between  Pistoria  and  Luca  we  broke  up 
into  small  parties  of  three  to  seven,  and  travelled  by  day  like 
ordinary  wayfarers.  Somewhere  not  far  south  of  the  Arnus 
we  reassembled,  evidently  by  prearrangement  and  as  accurate- 
ly as  a  well-managed  military-expedition.  Through  the 


254  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

mountains  past  Arretium  we  marched  at  night  as  in  the  Apen- 
nines. Again  somewhere  to  the  west  of  Clusium,  before  we 
reached  the  Pallia,  we  again  dispersed.  We  struck  the  Clodian 
Highway  about  halfway  between  Clusium  and  the  Pallia. 
From  there  we  proceeded  like  ordinary  footfarers. 

Both  between  Pistoria  and  Arretium,  along  the  byroads,  and 
from  the  Pallia  to  Rome,  on  the  Clodian  Highway,  I  was  in 
the  party  headed  by  Maternus  himself,  a  party  of  five  besides 
us  two.  When  we  dispersed  near  Luca  I  had  noted  that  Torix, 
Pelops  and  Cossedo  with  two  more  made  a  party;  and  that 
Caburus  took  Agathemer  with  him. 

As  Maternus  had  been  open  with  me  about  his  past  and  his 
plans  so  he  was  perfectly  frank  about  his  attitude  towards  me. 

"I  assume/'  he  said,  "that  you  are  delighted  at  the  oppor- 
tunity which  chance  and  I  have  given  you  to  assist  in  reveng- 
ing yourself  on  Commodus.  I  similarly  assume  that  you  and 
Agathemer  would  keep  any  oath  taken  by  you.  But  prudence 
•compels  a  leader  like  me  to  take  no  chances.  I  must,  as  a  wary 
guardian  of  my  associates,  take  all  possible  precautions.  You 
will  understand." 

We  did  understand.  We  were  watched  as  if  he  assumed 
that  we  were  on  the  alert  for  a  chance  of  escape,  as  we  were. 
On  night  marches  a  leathern  thong  was  knotted  about  my 
ivaist  and  the  ends  knotted  similarly  about  the  waists  of  the 
man  before  me  and  the  man  behind  me.  Agathemer  was  made 
•secure  in  a  like  fashion.  When  he  lay  down  to  sleep,  after  he 
had  composed  himself  to  rest,  a  blanket  was  spread  over  him 
and  a  burly  ruffian  lay  down  on  either  side  of  him,  the 
edges  of  the  blanket  under  them.  I  slept  similarly  guarded. 
On  day  marches  Caburus  kept  Agathemer  close  to  him ;  I  was 
never  out  of  sight  of  Maternus. 

Somewhere  in  the  Etrurian  hills  north  of  Arretium  I  over- 
heard part  of  a  conversation  between  Maternus  and  Caburus. 
They  were  talking  of  me  and  Agathemer. 

"You  cannot  be  sure,"  said  Maternus.  "By  every  rule  of 
reason  Hedulio  ought  to  hate  Commodus  consumedly.  But 
loyalty  is  so  inbred  in  senators  and  men  of  equestrian  rank, 
in  all  the  Eoman  nobility,  that  he  may  have  a  soft  place  in 


THE  FESTIVAL  255 

his  heart  for  him,  after  all.  Instead  of  doing  his  best  to  help 
us  kill  him  he  might  try  to  shield  him,  at  a  pinch." 

"Just  what  I  have  heen  thinking,"  said  Caburus.  "I  am 
half  in  doubt  about  this  enterprise,  even  now.  Agathemer 
may  after  all,  try  to  fool  me  and  to  shield  Commodus,  by 
pointing  out  some  other  man  to  me,  at  the  crucial  moment." 

"If  you  suspect  him  of  anything  of  the  kind,"  said  Ma- 
ternus  gently,  "just  drive  your  dirk  good  and  far  into  him 
and  be  done  with  him.  I'll  be  on  the  lookout  for  any  hanky- 
panky  from  Hedulio.  If  I  see  the  wrong  look  in  his  eye  or 
the  wrong  expression  on  his  face  I'll  make  a  quick  end  of 
him.  I'll  tolerate  no  treachery  after  oath  given  and  oath 
taken." 

It  may  easily  be  imagined  how  nervous  and  uncomfortable 
I  felt  after  hearing  this  mild,  soft-voiced  utterance. 

My  anxiety  was  accentuated  within  an  hour.  Just  as  I,  like 
the  other  members  of  the  band,  was  composing  myself  to  sleep, 
I  heard  high  words,  raised  voices,  threats,  an  oath  and  a  yell. 
With  the  rest  I  rushed  towards  the  sounds.  There,  with  the 
rest,  I  saw  Caulonius  Pelops  in  the  agonies  of  death,  a  dagger 
in  his  heart.  One  of  our  Spanish  associates  had  momentarily 
lost  his  temper. 

Maternus,  calm  and  unruffled,  mildly  inquired  the  causes 
of  the  quarrel,  affirmed  his  belief  in  the  Spaniard's  account, 
absolved  him  of  all  blame  and  ordered  Pelops  buried.  Then, 
as  if  nothing  happened,  we  all  composed  ourselves  to  sleep. 

I  did  not  sleep  much.  Evidently,  stabbing  on  small  provo- 
cation was  taken  as  a  matter  of  course  among  my  present 
comrades. 

At  Vulsinii  we  had  a  sound  sleep  at  an  inn  and  a  bountiful 
meal  at  dawn.  We  needed  both  before  dark,  for  Maternus 
marched  us  the  entire  twenty-eight  miles  to  Forum  Cassii  by 
sunset.  I  was  in  as  hard  condition  as  any  of  his  band  and  I 
stood  the  long  tramp  well.  Next  day  we  paused  for  barely 
an  hour,  near  noon,  at  Sutrium,  and  made  the  twenty-three 
miles  to  Baccanae  easily.  The  third  day  we  even  more  easily 
made  the  twenty-one  from  Baccanae  to  Eome.  Eome,  natur- 
ally, I  approached  with  emotion.  I  had  gazed  back  on  it 


256  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

from  the  road  to  Tibur,  certain  that  I  should  never  again  be- 
hold it.  And  I  was  now  about  to  enter  it  under  most  amaz- 
ing circumstances,  as  the  associate  of  cutthroats  and  ruf- 
fians, as  a  sworn  member  of  a  conspiracy  to  assassinate  the 
Prince  of  the  Republic,  as  the  prisoner  of  a  ruthless  outlaw, 
as  a  suspected  associate  of  a  chieftain  who  might  stab  me  at 
the  slightest  false  action,  motion,  word,  tone  or  look. 

There  is,  I  think,  no  view  of  Eome  as  one  approaches  it 
along  the  Via  Clodia  or  the  Via  Flaminia  which  is  as  fine  as 
anyone  of  a  score  from  points  on  the  Via  Salaria  and  Via 
Tiburtina.  But,  on  a  clear,  mild,  mellow  summer  afternoon 
I  caught  glorious  glimpses  of  the  city  from  the  higher  points 
of  the  road  as  we  neared  it.  The  sight  moved  me  to  tears, 
tears  which  I  was  careful  to  conceal.  I  could  not  but  note  the 
fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  made  by  the  Aemilian  Sibyl.  I 
could  not  but  hope  that  I  might  survive  to  see  Eome  under 
happier  circumstances. 

Amid  manifold  dangers  as  I  was,  I  was  not  gloomy.  We 
entered  the  city  by  the  Flaminian  Gate,  of  course,  and,  in  the 
waning  light,  walked  boldly  the  whole  length  of  the  Via  Lata, 
diagonally  across  from  the  Forum  of  Trajan,  under  his  Tri- 
umphal Arch,  through  the  Forum  of  Augustus,  and  across  the 
Forum  of  Nerva  past  the  Temple  of  Minerva  and  so  to  the  Su- 
bura.  All  the  way  from  the  City  Gate  to  the  slum  district 
I  marvelled  at  Maternus :  he  never  asked  his  way,  took  every 
turn  correctly;  and,  amid  the  splendors  of  Trajan's  Forum, 
behaved  like  a  frequenter,  habituated  to  such  magnificence. 
Equally  did  he  seem  at  home  amid  such  crowds  as  he  could 
never  have  mingled  with.  He  comported  himself  so  as  to 
attract  no  remark. 

As  we  passed  the  Temple  of  Minerva  I  sighed  and  re- 
marked that  I  would  give  anything  short  of  life  itself  for  a 
bath. 

"You  need  not  give  that  much;  we  can  bathe  for  a  quad- 
rans,  and,  since  you  mention  it,  we  shall  all  be  better  for  a 
bath/' 

"There  is  no  reason  why  you  and  the  rest  should  not 


THE  FESTIVAL  257 

bathe/'  I  rejoined,  ruefully,  "but  with  my  back  and  shoulder 
a  bath  is  no  place  for  me." 

"Pooh !"  laughed  Maternus,  "you  grew  up  in  Rome  and  I 
never  set  foot  in  it  till  today,  yet  you  know  no  bath  you  dare 
enter,  while  I  can  lead  you  to  a  bath-house  where  no  one  will 
heed  or  notice  brand-marks  or  scourge-scars." 

It  was,  in  fact,  close  by  and  I  had  the  first  vapor  bath  I 
had  enjoyed  since  leaving  Villa  Spinella.  After  we  left  the 
bath  Maternus  bought  three  cheap  little  terra-cotta  lamps 
and  a  small  supply  of  oil. 

At  the  cheaper  sort  of  cook-shop  we  ate  a  hearty  meal,  with 
plenty  of  very  bad  wine.  Then  we  went  where,  manifestly, 
arrangements  had  been  made  for  our  lodging,  in  a  seven-story 
rookery,  such  as  I  had  never  entered  and  had  hardly  seen 
from  outside.  Its  entrance  was  from  the  Subura  and  opened 
near  the  middle  of  one  of  the  long  sides  of  the  courtyard,  the 
pavement  of  which  was  very  uneven  from  irregular  sinking 
and  its  many  shaped  stones  much  worn.  Out  in  it,  at  almost 
equal  distances  from  the  ends,  the  sides  and  each  other,  stood 
two  circular  curb-walls,  each  about  a  yard  high;  one  the 
well,  whence  was  drawn  all  the  water  used  by  the  inmates; 
the  other  the  sewer-opening,  down  which  went  all  manner 
of  refuse.  The  ascent  to  the  upper  stories  was  by  an  open 
stone  stair  in  one  corner  of  the  court.  All  round  the  court  was 
an  open  arcaded  corridor,  running  behind  the  stair  in  its 
corner.  Above  it  were  six  similar  arcaded  galleries,  one 
for  each  upper  floor.  The  rooms,  judging  from  those  into 
which  I  looked  through  open  doors,  appeared  all  alike.  Ours 
were  floored,  walled  and  roofed  with  coarse  cement,  full  of 
small  broken  stone,  and  not  very  smoothly  finished.  The 
floors  were  worn  smooth  by  long  use.  The  only  opening 
to  each  was  the  door,  over  which  was  a  latticed  window  reach- 
ing to  the  vaulted  ceilings  of  the  gallery  and  room. 

Our  rooms  were  on  the  fourth  floor.  There  were  three 
rooms,  each  with  three  canvas  cots.  Maternus  left  the  six 
others  to  dispose  themselves  as  they  pleased.  He  and  I 
took  the  middle  room.  Quite  as  a  matter  of  course  he  bolted 


358  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  door,  drew  his  cot  across  it,  and  as  soon  as  I  had  com- 
posed myself  to  sleep,  sat  on  his  cot  and  blew  out  the  little 
terra-cotta  lamp. 

Next  morning  he  quite  unaffectedly  discussed  with  me  what 
he  was  to  do  with  me. 

"In  Kome,  anywhere  in  Rome,"  he  said,  "you  are  likely 
to  be  recognized  any  moment.  I  took  the  risk  yesterday 
evening;  I  had  to,  I  never  attempt  impossibilities  or  worry 
over  manifest  necessities.  But  I  never  run  unnecessary  risks. 
The  natural  thing  to  do  with  you  is  to  leave  you  in  this 
room  all  day  with  two  of  my  lads  to  watch  you.  I  do  not 
want  to  irritate  you,  but  I  see  no  other  way." 

"I'll  agree  to  come  back  here  and  stay  here  quietly,"  I 
said,  "if  you  will  let  me  go  out  first  for  a  while  with  you  or 
any  man  or  men  you  choose.  I  want  to  go  to  the  Temple  of 
Mercury  and  I  want  you  to  give  me  back  enough  of  my  money 
to  buy  two  white  hens  to  offer  to  the  god." 

"You  surprise  me,"  he  said.  "I  shouldn't  have  expected 
a  man  of  your  origin  to  pay  particular  attention  to  gaining 
the  favor  of  Mercury.  He  is  more  in  the  line  of  men  like 
me.  I  am  first  and  always  devoted  to  Mithras,  of  course. 
But  Mercury  comes  high  up  on  my  list.  I've  a  mind  to  take 
the  risk,  go  with  you  and  buy  four  hens,  two  for  you  and 
two  for  me." 

Actually  we  went  out  together  shortly  after  sunrise,  down 
the  Subura,  through  Nerva's  Forum,  and  diagonally  across 
the  Forum  itself.  There  I  quaked,  for  fear  of  being  recog- 
nized; and  marvelled  at  the  coolness  of  Maternus.  He 
feasted  his  eyes  and  mind  on  the  gorgeousness  about  us,  but 
with  such  discretion  that  no  one  could  have  conjectured  that 
he  was  a  foreigner,  viewing  Rome  for  the  first  time. 

On  down  the  Vicus  Tuscus  we  went  into  the  meat  market, 
where  he  bought  four  plump,  young,  white  hens.  As  we 
started  on  with  them,  each  of  us  carrying  two,  he  asked  his 
first  question. 

"What  building  is  that?"  nodding. 

"The  Temple  of  Hercules,"  I  told  him. 

"I  thought  so,"  he  said,  "they  always  build  his  circular. 


THE  FESTIVAL  259 

We'll  stop  in  there  on  our  way  back.  I  never  miss  a  chance 
to  ask  his  help." 

Whereas,  when  I  made  my  offering  before  my  flight  the 
previous  year,  the  street  had  been  deserted,  since  I  passed 
along  it  within  an  hour  after  sunrise,  now  it  was  humming 
with  unsavory  life,  the  eating-stalls  under  the  vaults  crowded, 
throngs  about  the  Babylonian  and  Egyptian  seers  who  prophe- 
sied anyone's  future  for  a  copper,  tawdry  hussies  leering 
before  the  doors  of  their  dens,  unsavory  louts  chatting  with 
some  of  them,  idlers  everywhere.  This  festering  cess-pool 
of  humanity  Maternus  regarded  with  disdain  and  contempt 
manifest  to  me,  but  carefully  concealed  behind  a  bland  ex- 
pression. 

When  we  came  out  of  the  Temple  of  Mercury,  after  mak- 
ing our  offering,  Maternus  whispered: 

"Walk  very  much  at  ease  and  as  if  your  mind  were  as 
much  as  possible  at  peace;  two  men  opposite  are  watch- 
ing us/' 

I  assumed  my  most  indifferent  air  and  carefully  avoided 
looking  across  the  street,  except  for  one  cautious  glance  from 
the  lowest  step  of  the  Temple.  Then  I  glimpsed,  leaning 
against  a  pier  of  the  outer  arcade  of  the  Circus  Maximus, 
two  men  wrapped  in  dingy  cloaks,  for  the  morning  had  been 
cool.  After  we  were  in  the  Temple  of  Hercules,  Maternus 
asked : 

"Did  you  tecognize  them?" 

"One  I  had  never  seen,"  I  replied.  'The  other  I  have 
seen  before,  but  I  do  not  know  who  he  is  nor  where  I  have 
seen  him." 

Not  until  after  midnight  that  night  did  it  suddenly  pop 
into  my  head  that  he  was  the  same  man  whom  I  had  first 
seen  on  horseback  in  the  rain  on  the  crossroad  above  Vediam- 
num,  the  man  whom  Tanno  had  asserted  was  a  professional 
informer  and  accredited  Imperial  spy,  the  man  who  had 
glanced  into  Nemestronia's  garden  and  seen  me  with  Egna- 
tius  Capito. 

After  we  left  the  Temple  of  Hercules  I  expected  him  to 
conduct  me  back  to  our  lodgings  for  the  day.  He  never 


260  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

suggested  it,  but  kept  me  with,  him,  strolling  about  the  central 
parts  of  the  city  as  if  he  had  nothing  to  fear,  walking  all 
round  the  Colosseum  and  loitering  through  the  Vicus  Cyprius, 
frankly  amused  at  the  sights  we  saw  there. 

He  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  shops  of  costumers:  on 
the  eve  of  the  Festival  they  displayed  placards  calling  atten- 
tion to  their  wares.  The  first  we  entered  had  no  Praetorian 
uniforms;  but,  as  if  the  request  for  them  were  a  matter  of 
course,  its  proprietor  directed  us  to  the  shop  of  a  cousin  of 
his  who  made  a  specialty  of  them.  There  I  was  amazed  that 
such  laxity  of  law,  or  of  enforcement  of  law,  could  possibly 
exist  as  would  permit  such  a  trade.  There  was  evidently  a 
regular  manufacture  for  this  festival  of  costumes  simulating 
and  travestying  those  of  the  Imperial  Body  Guard.  We  were 
shown  scores  of  them  and  the  shop  had  them  in  a  great  pile. 

The  tunics  were  genuine  tunics  formerly  worn  by  the 
actual  Praetorian  Guards  but  discarded  and  sold  as  worn  or 
faded.  There  were  also  many  such  kilts  and  corselets  and 
helmets.  But  as  helmets,  corselets  and  even  kilts  wore  out 
or  lost  their  freshness  more  slowly  than  tunics,  there  were 
many  imitation  kilts  and  corselets  of  sheepskin  painted,  and 
many  cheap,  light  helmets  of  willow-wood,  covered  with  dog- 
skin. But  all  these  had  genuine  plumes,  as  cast-off  plumes 
were  even  more  plentiful  than  second-hand  tunics. 

As  there  was  a  strict  enforcement  of  the  law  forbidding 
the  sale,  transport,  storage  or  possession  of  the  weapons  of 
any  part  of  the  military  establishment  the  shields  and  swords 
which  went  with  the  costumes  were  all  imitations ;  flimsy,  but 
astonishingly  deceiving  to  the  eye,  even  at  a  short  distance. 
The  shields  were  of  sheep-skin  stretched  over  an  osier  frame, 
but  painted  outside  so  as  to  present  the  appearance  of  the 
genuine  Praetorian  shields.  The  baldricks  and  belts  were 
also  of  sheep-skin,  the  scabbards  of  willow-wood,  and  the 
blades  of  the  wooden  swords  of  fig-wood,  so  as  to  be  com- 
pletely harmless. 

When  Maternus  proposed  to  hire  twenty-one  of  these  suits 
the  proprietor  took  it  as  a  customary  transaction,  inspected 
and  counted  twenty-one  costumes  and  stated  the  charge  for 


THE  FESTIVAL  261 

hiring  them  until  the  day  after  the  Festival.  But  he  also 
stated  that  he  did  not  hire  costumes  except  to  his  regular 
customers;  strangers  must  not  only  make  a  deposit  but  pro- 
duce as  vouchers  two  Eomans  in  good  standing  and  well 
known.  Seeing  Maternus  at  a  stick  he  added,  easily  and 
at  once,  that  he  sold  costumes  to  any  purchaser  for  cash, 
without  question,  and  agreed  to  repurchase  the  same  costumes 
after  the  Festival  at  nine  denarii  for  every  ten  of  the  sale 
price,  if  the  costumes  were  brought  back  in  good  condition; 
if  damaged,  he  would  even  so  repurchase  them,  but  only  at 
their  damaged  value. 

Maternus  at  once  agreed  to  buy  on  those  terms  and,  with- 
out haggling,  accepted  the  price  asked  and  paid  it  in  gold. 
He  then  arranged  for  porters  to  carry  the  costumes  where 
he  wanted  them.  This  also  was  taken  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Followed  by  the  porters  we  returned  to  our  lodging.  Mater- 
nus left  two  porters,  with  their  loads,  in  the  courtyard  and 
with  the  third  porter  we  climbed  three  flights  of  stairs. 
The  porter  bestowed  his  huge  pack  in  my  cell  and  there 
Maternus  left  me  in  charge  of  three  of  the  men,  with  orders 
that  two  must  watch  me  till  he  returned.  The  third  was  to 
be  at  my  orders  to  fetch  any  eatables  or  drinkables  I  wanted ; 
to  this  man  Maternus  gave  a  handful  of  carefully  counted 
silver  coins. 

There  I  remained  until  next  morning,  sleeping  all  the 
time  I  could  get  to  sleep  and  stay  asleep;  trying  not  to  fret 
when  awake;  and  by  no  means  displeased  with  the  food  and 
wine  brought  me. 

Maternus  slept  that  night,  as  the  night  previous,  with  his 
cot  across  our  door. 

Next  morning  he  said  to  me : 

"I  feel  unusually  reckless  today.  I've  been  thinking  the 
matter  over  and  it  seems  to  me  that,  on  the  day  of  the 
Festival,  there  will  be  thousands  of  sightseers  in  dingy  cloaks 
and  umbrella  hats.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  you  will  run 
little  risk  on  the  streets  anywhere  in  the  poorer  quarters  of 
the  city.  Fin  going  to  take  you  out  with  me  to  see  the  fun. 
We'll  keep  far  away  from  where  Caburus  and  Cossedo  and 


262  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

their  helpers  are  to  take  their  stands.  We'll  see  the  morning 
fun  and  then  eat  a  hearty  meal  and  sleep  all  the  afternoon." 

Out  we  sallied,  I  and  one  varlet  in  our  travelling  outfit, 
Maternus  and  six  more  habited  as  imitation  Praetorians. 
Two  of  the  ruffians  had  a  pretty  taste  in  drollery  and  amused 
the  crowd  with  buffooneries.  Strange  to  say  the  crowds 
seemed  to  think  that  they  travestied  Praetorians  to  a  nicety 
whereas  neither  had  ever  set  eyes  on  a  Praetorian  and  their 
antics  were  the  product  of  mere  innate  whimsicality. 

I  found  the  procession  really  interesting,  with  its  various 
wonders  and  marvels.  I  had  never  been  in  Home  at  the 
time  of  the  Feast  of  Cybele,  which  was,  of  all  the  Festivals 
of  the  Gods,  peculiarly  the  poor  man's  frolic.  And  I  had 
always  wondered  how  it  was  possible  so  to  tame  and  train 
two  healthy  full-grown  male  lions  as  to  have  them  draw  a 
chariot  with  Demeter's  statue  through  miles  of  crowded 
streets.  After  seeing  them  pass  I  concluded  that  they  were 
dazed  by  the  glare,  the  crowds  and  the  noise,  and  too  cowed 
to  be  dangerous. 

At  the  license  in  the  streets  I  was  amazed.  I  saw  a  dozen 
men,  each  attired  as  Prefect  of  the  Palace;  a  score  of  loose 
women  dressed  in  an  unmistakable  imitation  of  the  Empress, 
consuls  by  scores  and  similar  counterfeits  of  every  honored 
official  or  acclaimed  individual.  In  particular,  every  corner 
had  a  laborious  presentation  of  Murmei  Lucro,  the  most 
popular  gladiator  in  Eome.  Almost  equally  frequent  were 
presentments  of  Agilius  Septentrio,  the  celebrated  panto- 
mimist;  and  of  Palus,  champion  charioteer. 

And  I  saw,  amid  roars  of  laughter,  jeers,  cat-calls  and 
plaudits,  no  less  than  three  different  roisterers  got  up,  cau- 
tiously and  in  inexpensive  stuffs,  but  recognizably,  as  carica- 
tures of  the  Emperor  himself;  not,  of  course,  in  his  official 
robes,  but  in  such  garments  as  he  wore  in  his  sporting  hours. 
These  audacious  merrymakers  were  ignored  by  the  police 
and  military  guards. 

Not  long  after  noon  Maternus  declared  that  he  had  had 
enough.  We  ate  at  a  decidedly  good  cook-shop,  where  we 
had  excellent  food  and  good  medium  wine.  When  I  waked 


THE  FESTIVAL  263 

near  sunset  Maternus  reported  that  he  had  slept  all  £he 
afternoon:  certainly  I  had. 

He  then  explained  to  me  that  he  was  to  make  his  attempt 
in  the  Gardens  of  Lucius  Verus,  where  Commodus  had  this 
year  decreed  the  torchlight  procession.  He  was  again  en- 
tirely frank. 

"Your  part/'  he  said,  "will  be  merely  to  point  out  Com- 
modus to  me.  If  I  decide  not  to  make  any  attempt  on  him 
I  shall  expect  you  to  return  here  with  me  and  abide  by  what- 
ever decision  our  association  makes  at  its  next  meeting:  I 
cannot  foresee  whether  they  will  vote  to  disband  or  to  plan 
another  venture.  If  I  make  my  attempt,  and  I  think  I 
shall,  for,  apparently,  both  Caburus  and  Cossedo  have  blenched 
or  failed,  since  no  rumors  of  any  excitement  have  reached  us, 
you  will  be  free  the  moment  you  see  me  stab  Commodus. 
You  must  then  look  out  for  yourself  and  fend  for  yourself: 
you  and  I  are  never  to  meet  again  unless  by  some  unimagin- 
able series  of  miracles." 

And  he  gave  me  four  silver  pieces,  saying : 

"This  will  keep  you  in  food  for  a  long  time,  if  you  are 
sparing.  Good  luck!" 

Then,  habited  as  in  the  morning,  we  sallied  out,  and  ate 
at  a  cook-shop  we  had  never  before  entered,  which  was  full 
of  revellers  dressed  as  votaries  of  Isis,  as  Egyptians,  as  cut- 
laws,  as  Arabians,  as  anything  and  everything.  And  as  we 
crossed  the  city  on  our  way  to  the  Aelian  Bridge,  as  we  were 
passing  through  a  better  part  of  it,  I  was  struck  with  the 
craziness  of  the  costumes,  many  imitating  every  imaginable 
style  of  garb:  Gallic,  Spanish,  Moorish,  Syrian,  Persian, 
Lydian,  Thracian,  Scythian  and  many  more;  but  many  also 
devised  according  to  no  style  that  ever  existed,  but  invented 
by  the  wearers,  in  a  mad  competition  to  don  the  most  fan- 
tastic and  bizarre  garb  imagination  could  suggest. 

In  the  torchlit  gardens  I  perceived  at  once  that  it  would 
be  very  easy  for  Maternus  to  edge  close  to  the  actual  body- 
guard, mingle  with  them,  pass  himself  off  as  one,  get  near 
the  Emperor  and  make  a  rush  at  him.  He  had  chosen  a  spot 
where  the  procession  was  to  circle  thrice  about  a  great  statue 


264  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  Cybele  set  up  for  that  occasion  on  a  temporary  base  in 
the  middle  of  a  round  grass-plot.  His  idea  was  that  I  was 
to  point  out  Commodus  to  him  on  the  first  round  and  he  to 
consider  the  disposition  of  the  participants  in  the  procession 
and  make  his  attempt  on  the  second  or  third  round. 

Standing,  as  we  did,  in  the  front  row  of  a  mass  of  revel- 
lers packed  as  spectators  along  the  incurved  outer  rim  of  the 
ring,  we  had  a  surpassingly  good  view  of  the  procession  as 
it  entered  the  circle.  There  were  various  bands  of  votaries 
and  then  six  eunuch  priests,  their  faces  whitened  with  flour, 
their  garb  a  flowing  robe  of  light  vivid  yellow,  convoying  a 
brace  of  panthers,  pacing  as  sedately  as  the  brace  of  lions 
in  the  morning  procession,  drawing  a  light  chariot  in  which 
sat  a  diademed,  robed  and  garlanded  image  of  Cybele,  very 
gaudy  and  garish.  Behind  the  chariot  paced  two  priests 
of  Cybele,  not  Phrygian  Eunuchs,  but  Koman  officials,  in 
their  pontifical  robes,  a  pair  of  dignified  old  senators,  ex-con- 
suls both,  Vitrasius  Pollio  and  Flavius  Aper,  full  of  self- 
importance.  Then  came  the  Chief  Priest,  tall,  full-bearded, 
swarthy,  his  robes  a  blaze  of  gold  and  jewels,  pacing  solemnly, 
on  either  side  of  him,  as  assistant  priest,  a  young  Eoman 
nobleman,  chosen  from  the  college  of  the  Pontiffs  of  Cybele, 
habited  in  very  gorgeous  robes.  One  was  Marcus  Octavius 
Vindex,  son  of  the  ex-consul,  a  very  handsome  young  man; 
the  other,  to  my  amazement,  Talponius  Pulto. 

At  sight  of  my  life-long  enemy  who  had  always  rebuffed 
my  overtures  towards  the  establishment  of  courteous  rela- 
tions between  us,  who  had  insulted  me  a  thousand  times,  who 
had  sponsored  the  informer  whose  insinuations  had  caused 
my  downfall,  revengeful  rage  and  self-congratulation  at  my 
opportunity  filled  me. 

For,  between  the  two  pompous  old  senators  and  this  digni- 
fied, showy  and  impressive  trio,  capered  a  score  of  eunuch 
priests  clashing  cymbals  and  among  them  Commodus  also 
clashing  cymbals  and  amazingly  garbed.  I  have  never  been 
able  to  conjecture  how  his  headgear  was  managed.  He  had 
a  band  round  his  forehead  and  from  that  band  rose  a  sphere 
of  some  light  material,  apparently  a  framework  of  whalebone 


THE  FESTIVAL  265 

covered  with  silk,  a  sphere  fully  a  yard  in  diameter,  all 
gleaming  with  the  sheen  of  silk,  and  white  with  an  unsur- 
passable whiteness.  His  robe,  or  tunic  or  whatever  it  was, 
was  of  the  same  or  a  similar  glossy  white  silk.  Round  his 
neck  was  a  golden  collar,  and  gold  anklets  of  a  similar  pat- 
tern clanked  on  his  ankles.  From  the  links  or  bosses  of  the 
collar  to  the  links  or  bosses  of  the  anklets  streamed  silken 
ribbons  of  the  same  intense  light  yellow  we  had  seen  in  the 
robes  of  the  panther-keepers.  Two  of  the  eunuch  priests 
fanned  him  with  peacock  feather  fans,  so  that  the  ribbons 
fluttered  and  shimmered  in  the  torchlight.  He  wore  soft 
shoes  or  slippers  of  the  same  vivid  yellow.  Clashing  his 
cymbals  he  shrieked  and  capered  with  the  eunuch  priests. 

I  was  more  than  shocked  to  see  the  Prince  of  the  Republic 
so  degrade  himself,  to  see  him  exhibit  the  acme  of  the  craze 
for  devising  unimaginably  fantastic  costumes  for  this  Fes- 
tival. 

Besides  being  shocked,  I  was  terrified,  even  numb  with 
terror.  I  knew  that  Maternus  would  never  believe  me  if,  I 
indicated  this  gaping  zany  and  asserted  that  it  was  our 
Emperor :  yet  Maternus  had  such  an  uncanny  power  of  inter- 
preting the  expression  of  face  of  any  interlocutor  that  I 
dreaded  to  tell  him  anything  save  the  exact  truth.  I  was 
in  a  dilemma,  equally  afraid  to  tell  the  truth,  for  fear  the 
improbability  of  it  would  infuriate  Maternus  and  convince 
him  of  my  treachery;  or  to  take  the  obvious  course,  for  fear 
some  subtle  shade  of  my  tone  or  look  might  similarly  impel 
him  to  stab  me. 

As  the  convoy  passed  Maternus  whispered,  softly  and  un- 
hurriedly : 

"Which  is  he?" 

In  my  panic  I  chose  the  less  dangerous  alternative.  Pulto 
was  by  far  the  most  Imperial  figure  in  the  throng;  his  great 
height,  the  fine  poise  of  his  head,  his  royal  bearing,  his  regal 
expression,  his  stately  port,  all  contributed  to  make  him 
dominate  the  assemblage.  I  felt  that  Maternus  might  be- 
lieve him  Commodus  and  could  never  believe  Commodus  an 
Emperor  or  even  a  noble. 


266  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

I  indicated  Pulto,  haughty,  dignified,  handsome  and  mag* 
nificently  habited. 

Maternus,  apparently,  believed  me  implicitly. 

He  whispered  again. 

"I  am  sure  to  get  him  when  they  come  round  again.  Watch 
for  my  blow.  If  I  land  or  if  I  am  seized,  fend  for  yourself. 
Good  luck  and  Mercury  be  good  to  both  of  us.  Farewell." 

As  the  procession  came  round  again  I  could  hear  my  heart 
thump;  but,  to  my  gaze,  Maternus,  handsome  in  his  imita- 
tion Praetorian  uniform,  appeared  the  personification  of  calm- 
ness. 

When  again  the  Imperial  zany  and  his  fan-bearers  and 
posturing  eunuchs  had  passed  us  and  the  High  Priest  and 
his  Acolytes  were  opposite  us,  Maternus  slipped  forward  be- 
tween two  of  the  Praetorians  of  the  escort. 

At  that  instant  I  felt  a  grip  on  my  arm  and  Agathemer's 
voice  whispered: 

"Come !" 

Together  we  slunk  back  into  the  crowd,  and  when  the  yell 
arose  behind  us,  presumably  at  sight  of  Pulto  slaughtered 
by  Maternus,  we  were  well  clear  of  the  press  and  in  the  act 
of  darting  into  the  shrubbery.  In  fact  we  got  clear  away 
unpursued,  unmolested,  unhindered. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

GALLOPING 

AS  the  Gardens  of  Verus  are  north  of  the  Tiber  we  had 
no  difficulty  whatever  in  casting  a  wide  circuit  to  the 
left  and  coming  out  on  the  Aurelian  Highway.  All  the  way 
to  it  we  had  met  no  one ;  on  it  we  met  no  one.  After  strik- 
ing the  highway  we  walked  along  it  as  fast  as  we  dared. 
We  should  have  liked  to  run  a  mile  or  two,  but  we  were  care- 
ful to  comport  ourselves  as  wayfarers  and  not  act  so  as  to 
appear  fugitives.  The  night  was  overcast  and  pitch  dark. 


GALLOPING  267 

We  must  have  walked  fully  four  miles,  which  is  ahout  one 
third  of  the  way  to  Loria. 

Then,  being  tired  and  with  no  reason  whatever  for  going 
anywhere  in  particular,  we  sat  down  to  rest  on  the  projecting 
base-course  of  a  pretentious  tomb  of  great  size  but  much 
neglected.  It  was  so  dilapidated,  in  fact,  that  Agathemer, 
feeling  about  by  where  he  sat,  found  an  aperture  big  enough 
for  us  to  crawl  into.  It  began  to  rain  and  we  investigated 
the  opening.  Apparently  this  huge  tomb  had  been  hastily 
built  by  dishonest  contractors,  for  here,  low  down,  where  the 
substructure  should  have  been  as  durable  and  solid  as  possible, 
they  had  cheapened  the  wall  by  inserting  some  of  those  big 
earthenware  jars  which  are  universally  built  into  the  upper 
parts  of  high  walls  to  lighten  the  construction.  A  slab  of  the 
external  shell  of  gaudy  marbles  had  fallen  out,  leaving  an 
aperture  nearly  as  big  as  the  neck  of  the  great  jar. 

As  the  rain  increased  to  a  downpour  we  wriggled  and 
squirmed  through  the  hole,  barely  squeezing  ourselves  in,  and 
found  the  jar  a  bit  dusty  but  dry  and  comfortable.  We 
wrapped  ourselves  in  our  cloaks,  rejoicing  to  be  out  of  the 
torrent  of  water  which  now  descended  from  the  sky.  Also 
we  composed  ourselves  to  sleep,  if  we  could. 

We  discussed  our  situation.  We  had  our  tunics,  cloaks, 
umbrella  hats  and  road  shoes,  but  no  staffs,  wallets  or  extras. 
Agathemer  mourned  for  his  flageolet.  Between  us  we  had 
seven  silver  denarii  and  a  handful  of  coppers;  Maternus  had 
given  Agathemer  four  denarii,  as  he  had  me,  but  early  in  the 
day,  and  he  had  broken  one  to  buy  two  meals. 

He  said  that  Caburus  had  either  feared  to  make  an  at- 
tempt on  Commodus,  or  judged  that  no  opportunity  pre- 
sented itself.  Of  Cossedo  he  knew  no  more  than  I.  Caburus 
had  turned  him  over  to  two  ruffians  to  watch  and  he  had 
eluded  them  in  the  crowds  and  made  his  way  to  the  Gardens 
of  Verus  expressly  to  find  me,  if  possible,  and  help  me  if 
escape. 

He  said  that  our  coins  could  not  be  made  to  last  any 
length  of  time.  Nor  could  we  well  beg  our  way  so  near  the 
city.  Our  store  of  gems  ia  our  amulet-bags  was  of  no  usa, 


268  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

because,  as  he  said,  he  was  personally  known  to  every  gem- 
expert  in  Rome.  Perusia  was  the  nearest  town  to  north- 
ward where  he  might  hope  to  find  prompt  secret  buyers  for 
gems  of  dubious  ownership;  Perusia  was  far  beyond  the 
reach  of  two  footfarers,  without  wallets  and  with  only  seven 
denarii. 

We  argued  that,  whatever  happened,  the  wisest  course  was 
to  get  some  sleep.  Agathemer  declared  that  we  could  fast 
over  next  day  and  night,  if  necessary,  and  that  we  had  best 
keep  in  our  hole  till  next  night,  anyhow.  I  acceded  and  we 
went  to  sleep. 

We  were  waked  by  loud  voices  in  altercation.  The  sky 
had  cleared,  the  late  moon  was  half  way  up,  and  we  con- 
jectured that  the  time  was  about  midway  between  midnight 
and  dawn,  the  time  when  all  roads  are  most  deserted. 

Close  to  us,  plain  in  the  brilliant  moonlight,  were  two 
stocky  men  on  roan  or  bay  horses.  The  moonlight  was  bright 
enough  to  make  it  certain  that  they  were  wearing  the  garb 
of  Imperial  couriers.  The  trappings  of  their  horses,  front- 
lets, saddle  cloths,  saddle  bags  and  all  suited  their  attire. 

But  their  actions,  words,  accents  and  everything  about 
them  was  most  discordant  with  their  horses  and  equipment. 

Both  were  so  drunk  that  they  could  just  stick  on  their 
stationary  and  impassive  mounts,  so  drunk  that  they  talked 
thickly.  And  they  were  disputing  and  arguing  and  wrang- 
ling with  their  voices  raised  almost  to  a  shout.  Thickly  as 
they  talked,  we  had  listened  to  them  but  a  few  moments 
when  we  were  sure  that  they  were  low-class  highwaymen  who 
had  robbed  two  Imperial  couriers,  tied  and  gagged  them, 
changed  clothes  with  them  and  ridden  off  on  their  horses, 
but  had  stopped  to  drink,  raw  and  unmixed,  the  couriers' 
overgenerous  supply  of  heady  wine;  two  kid-skins,  by  their 
utterances.  Now  they  were  reviling  each  other,  each  claim- 
ing a  larger  proportion  of  the  coins  than  he  had. 

Here  was  a  present  from  Mercury,  indeed.  It  was  a 
matter  of  no  difficulty  to  crawl  out  of  our  hole,  to  approach 
Carex  and  Junco,  as  they  called  each  other,  to  pluck  their 
daggers  from  their  sheaths  and  to  render  the  highwaymen 


GALLOPING  269 

harmless,  to  pull  them  from  their  saddles,  tie  their  hands 
with  the  lashings  of  their  saddle-bags  and  to  gag  them  with 
strips  torn  from  their  tunics;  for  they  were  too  drunk  to 
know  that  they  were  being  attacked;  so  drunk  that  each,  as 
we  dragged  him  from  his  horse,  fancied  that  the  other  was 
assaulting  him  and  expostulated  at  such  unfair  behavior 
on  the  part  of  a  pal.  So  drunk  were  they  that  both  were 
snoring  before  we  tied  their  feet  with  more  strips  torn  from 
their  tunics. 

Like  sacks  we  hauled  them  out  of  the  moonlight,  into  the 
shadow  of  the  tomb  and  then  stripped  them  except  of  their 
tunics,  fitted  on  ourselves  the  accoutrements  they  had  stolen, 
and  thrust  them,  trussed,  gagged,  snoring  and  helpless,  into 
the  hole  where  we  had  taken  shelter. 

On  horseback  we  rode  like  couriers,  full  gallop,  passed 
Loria  before  the  first  hint  of  dawn  showed  through  the 
moonlight  and,  about  half  way  between  FregenaB  and  Alsium 
turned  aside  into  a  lovely  little  grove  about  an  old  shrine 
of  Ops  Consiva,  a  grove  whose  beauty  and  the  openness  of 
whose  tree-embowered,  grass-carpeted  spaces  was  plain  even 
by  the  moonlight. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see  we  took  stock  of  our 
windfall.  The  horses  were  both  bays  and  of  the  finest;  their 
trappings  new  and  in  perfect  condition.  Our  attire  was 
made  up  of  the  best  horsemen's  boots,  a  trifle  too  large  for  us, 
but  not  enough  to  be  so  noticeable  as  to  betray  us,  or  even 
enough  to  make  us  uncomfortable;  of  horsemen's  long  rain- 
cloaks  and  of  excellent  umbrella  hats,  all  of  the  regulation 
material,  design  and  color.  In  the  saddle-bags  were  excel- 
lent blankets,  our  despatches,  legibly  endorsed  with  the  name, 
Munatius  Plancus,  of  the  official  at  Marseilles  to  whom  we 
were  to  deliver  them;  and  our  credentials,  entitling  us  to  all 
possible  assistance  from  all  men  and  to  fresh  horses  at  all 
change-houses.  From  these  diplomas  we  learned  that  our 
names  were  Sabinus  Felix  and  Bruttius  Asper. 

This  crowned  our  luck.  We  crowed  with  glee  over  the 
unimaginably  helpful  coincidence  that  these  diplomas  should 
be  made  out  for  couriers  with  the  very  names  which  we  had 


270  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

chosen  at  haphazard  at  the  commencement  of  our  flight  and 
had  been  using  to  each  other  ever  since. 

The  provision  of  cash  was  ample:  besides  plenty  of  silver 
there  was  more  than  enough  gold  to  have  carried  us  all  the 
way  to  Marseilles,  on  the  most  lavish  scale  of  expenditure, 
without  resorting  to  our  credentials  to  get  us  fresh  horses. 

We  ate  liberally  of  the  couriers'  generous  provision  of 
bread,  cheese,  sausage,  olives  and  figs ;  well  content  to  quench 
our  thirst  at  the  spring  by  the  shrine.  Then  we  muffled 
ourselves  in  our  cloaks,  tightened  the  straps  of  our  umbrella 
hats,  jammed  them  down  on  our  heads,  pulled  the  brims 
over  our  faces,  mounted  and  set  off,  elated,  sure  of  ourselves, 
well  fed,  well  clad,  well  horsed,  opulent,  accredited,  gay. 

As  couriers  vary  in  their  theories  of  horse-husbanding  and 
in  their  practice  of  riding,  we  had  a  wide  choice,  and  elected 
to  get  every  mile  we  could  out  of  these  fine  horses  and  not 
change  until  as  far  as  possible  from  Eome.  We  found  their 
most  natural  lope  and,  pausing  to  drink  and  to  water  them 
sparingly  at  the  loneliest  springs  we  descried,  we  pressed  on 
through  or  past  the  Towers,  Pyrgos,  and  Castrum  Novum 
to  Centumcellae.  That  was  all  of  forty-one  miles  from  the 
shrine  of  Ops  Consiva  and  full  fifty  from  Eome,  but,  partly 
because  we  had  to  spare  ourselves,  as  we  had  not  been  astride 
of  a  horse  since  we  crawled  through  the  drain  at  Villa 
Andivia,  we  so  humored  our  horses  that  we  arrived  in  a 
condition  which  the  ostler  took  as  a  matter  of  course,  and 
it  was  then  not  quite  noon,  which  we  both  considered  a  feat 
of  horsemanship. 

At  Centumcellae  we  ate  liberally  and  enjoyed  the  inn's 
excellent  wine.  Also  we  set  off  on  strong  horses.  From 
there  only  the  danger  of  getting  saddle-sick  after  our  long 
disuse  of  horses  and  the  certainty  of  getting  saddle-sore,  as 
we  did,  restrained  us.  We  tore  on  through  Martha,  Forum 
Aurelii,  and  a  nameless  change-house,  spurring  and  lashing 
as  much  as  we  dared,  for  we  dared  not  disable  ourselves  with 
blisters,  changing  at  each  halt  and  getting  splendid  horses, 
our  diplomas  unquestioned.  Thus  at  dusk  we  reached  Cosa, 


GALLOPING  271 

'forty-nine  miles  from  Centuincellse  and  a  hundred  and  nine 
miles  from  Rome. 

We  dreaded  that  we  should  wake  too  sore  to  ride,  perhaps 
too  sore  to  mount,  perhaps  even  too  sore  to  get  out  of  bed. 
But,  while  stiff  and  in  great  pain,  we  managed  to  breakfast 
and  get  away. 

That  day  we,  perforce,  rode  with  less  abandon,  though 
we  both  felt  less  discomfort  after  we  warmed  to  the  saddle. 
We  nooned  at  Rosellae,  thirty-three  miles  on,  and  slept  at 
Vada,  the  port  of  Volaterrae,  fifty-six  miles  further,  a  day  of 
eighty  miles.  Next  day  we  were,  if  anything,  yet  sorer  and 
stiffer,  certainly  we  were  less  frightened.  So  we  took  it 
easier,  nooning  at  Pisa,  thirty  miles  on,  and  sleeping  at  Luna, 
thirty-five  further,  a  day  of  only  sixty-five  miles,  rather  too 
little  for  Imperial  couriers.  Our  third  morning  we  woke 
feeling  hardened  and  fit:  we  made  thirty-nine  miles  before 
noon  and  ate  at  Bodetia ;  from  there  we  pushed  on  forty-five 
miles  to  Genoa,  an  eighty-four  mile  day,  more  in  character. 

At  Genoa  we  were  for  taking  the  coast  road.  We  were 
all  for  haste.  We  had  ridden  amazingly  well  for  men  who 
had  not  been  astride  of  a  horse  for  nearly  a  year;  we  had 
ridden  fairly  well  for  Imperial  couriers;  but  we  had  not 
ridden  fast  enough  to  suit  ourselves.  From  Cosa  onward 
we  had  been  haunted  by  the  same  dread.  We  had  imagined 
the  real  Bruttius  Asper  and  Sabinus  Felix  reporting  their 
loss  of  everything  save  their  tunics,  we  imagined  the  hue 
and  cry  after  us,  the  most  capable  men  in  the  secret  service, 
riding  fit  to  kill  their  horses  on  our  trail.  At  Cosa,  at  Vada, 
at  Luna  we  had  waked  dreading  to  find  the  avengers  up  with 
us  and  ourselves  prisoners;  at  Rosellae,  at  Pisa,  at  Bodetia-, 
we  bad  eaten  with  one  eye  on  the  door,  expecting  every  in* 
stant  to  see  our  pursuers  enter;  so  at  every  change-station, 
while  our  trappings  were  taken  from  our  weary  cattle  and 
girthed  on  fresh  mounts.  So  we  were  for  the  coast  road  as 
shortest. 

But  the  innkeeper,  who  was  also  manager  of  the  change- 
Btables,  told  us  that  between  Genoa  and  Vada  Sabatia  the 


272  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

road  was  blocked  by  landslides,  washouts  and  the  destruction 
of  at  least  three  bridges  by  freshets.  He  advised  us  to  take 
the  carriage-road  by  Dertona,  the  Mineral  Springs,  Crixia 
and  Canalicum.  But  we  thought  of  the  pursuers  thundering 
after  us  and  anyhow  we  wanted  none  of  Dertona,  recalling 
our  encounter  with  Gratillus  at  Placentia.  We  took  the 
coast  road,  and,  though  we  had  to  ford  two  streams  and  swam 
our  horses  over  one,  although  we  had  to  slide  down  slopes 
and  toil  up  others  afoot,  leading  our  horses  after  us,  although 
a  full  third  of  the  road  was  mere  rough  track,  like  a  wild 
mountain  trail,  though  the  distance  was  all  of  forty-five  miles, 
yet  we  slept  at  Vada  Sabatia,  very  thankful  to  have  done  in 
one  day  what  would  have  taken  us  at  least  three  by  the 
hundred  and  fifty-one  mile  mountain-detour  through  Der- 
tona,  and  still  more  thankful  for  the  lonely  safety  of  the 
coast  road. 

From  Vada  Sabatia  the  coast  road  was  better,  but  still 
far  from  easy.  We  were  well  content  to  noon  at  a  tiny 
change-house  between  Albingaunum  and  Albintimilium  and 
to  sleep  at  Lumo,  seventy-seven  miles  on.  Next  morning 
early,  only  six  miles  from  Lumo,  but  six  miles  of  hard  climb- 
ing up  a  twisty,  rock-cut  road,  we  came  out  at  its  crest,  where 
there  is  a  wonderful  view  up  and  down  the  coast  and  out 
southwards  to  sta,  and  there  passed  the  boundary  of  Italy 
and  entered  Gaul.  That  night  we  slept  at  Matavonium, 
eighty-four  miles  forward  and  but  seventy-four  miles  from 
Marseilles. 

So  far  we  had  had  no  adventures,  had  been  accepted  with- 
out question  everywhere,  had  seen  no  look  of  suspicion  from 
anyone,  had  encountered  no  other  couriers,  except  those 
whom  we  met  and  passed  on  the  road,  we  and  they  lashing, 
spurring  and  hallooing,  each  party  barely  visible  to  the  other 
through  the  cloud  of  dust  both  raised. 

On  that  day,  our  eighth  out  from  Kome,  at  noon  at  Tegn- 
lata,  we  had  adventure  enough. 

The  common  room  of  the  inn  was  low-ceiled,  I  could  have 
jumped  and  touched  the  carved  beams  with  my  hand.  But 
it  was  very  large  indeed,  something  like  thirty  yards  long  and 


GALLOPING  273 

fully  twenty  yards  wide,  with  two  Tuscan  columns  about 
ten  yards  apart  in  the  middle  of  it,  supporting  the  seven 
great  beams,  smoke-blackened  till  their  carving  was  blurred, 
on  which  the  ceiling-joists  were  laid.  The  floor  was  of  some 
dark,  smooth-grained  stone,  polished  by  the  feet  which  had 
trod  it  for  generations;  there  were  six  wide-latticed  win- 
dows, and,  opposite  the  door,  a  great  fire-place,  with  an 
ample  chimney  above  and  four  bronze  cranes  for  pots  or 
roasts.  Each  arm  had  several  chains  and  actually,  when  we 
entered,  four  pots  were  boiling,  and  a  kid  was  roasting  over 
the  cunningly  bedded  fire  of  clear  red  coals,  the  fresh  caught 
wood  at  the  back,  where  the  smoke  would  not  disflavor  the 
roasting  meat.  It  was  the  most  civilized  inn  we  had  entered 
on  our  post-ride  and  spoke  of  the  nearness  of  Marseilles, 
though  every  detail  of  its  construction,  furnishings  and 
methods  was  Gallic,  not  Greek. 

Unlike  our  inns,  where  the  drink  and  food  is  set  on  low, 
round-topped,  one-legged,  three-footed  tables,  about  which 
are  placed  the  backless  stools  or  low-backed,  wooden-seated 
chairs  on  which  the  customers  sit,  it  had,  Gallic  fashion, 
big,  heavy-topped,  high-set,  rectangular,  six-legged  tables 
with  benches  along  their  long  sides,  others  with  chairs,  like 
those  at  the  ends  of  every  table;  solid,  high-backed  chairs, 
comfortable  for  the  guests,  whose  knees  were  well  under  the 
high-topped,  solid-legged  tables. 

Agathemer  and  I  took  seats  at  the  table  in  the  far  corner 
to  the  right  of  the  door;  only  two  of  the  five  were  occupied, 
and  they  by  but  two  at  each;  plainly  local  customers.  We 
told  the  host  that  we  were  in  haste  and  asked  for  whatever 
fare  he  had  ready.  He  brought  us  an  excellent  stew  of 
fowl,  with  bread  and  wine  and  recommended  that  we  wait 
till  he  had  broiled  some  sea-fish,  saying  they  were  small  but 
toothsome,  fresh-caught  and  would  be  ready  in  a  few  mo- 
ments. The  fish  tempted  us,  and,  so  near  Marseilles,  we 
felt  no  hurry  at  all,  for  we  meant  to  loiter  on  the  road  and 
pass  the  gate  about  an  hour  before  sunset,  calculating  that 
the  later  in  the  day  we  arrived  the  better  chance  we  had  of 
delivering  our  despatches,  as  we  must,  without  being  exposed 


274,  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

as  not  the  men  we  passed  for,  and  of  somehow  disembarrass- 
ing ourselves  of  our  accoutrements  and  donning  ordinary 
attire  bought  at  some  cheap  shop. 

As  we  sat,  tasting  the  eggs,  shrimps,  and  such  like  relishes 
before  attacking  the  stew,  which  was  too  hot  as  yet,  there 
entered  two  men  in  the  attire  of  Imperial  couriers.  Agathe- 
mer  kept  his  face,  but  I  am  sure  I  turned  pale.  I  expected, 
of  course,  that  they  would  walk  over  to  our  table,  greet  us, 
ask  our  names,  and  like  as  not  turn  out  intimates  of  Brut- 
tius  Asper  and  Sabinus  Felix,  so  that  we  would  be  exposed 
then  and  there. 

But  they  merely  saluted,  perfunctorily,  and  took  seats  at 
the  table  nearest  the  door  on  their  left,  diagonally  the  whole 
space  of  the  room  from  us.  Agathemer  and  I  returned  their 
salute  as  precisely  as  we  could  imitate  it,  thankful  that  they 
had  saluted,  so  as  to  let  us  see  what  the  couriers'  salute  was, 
for  we  had  felt  much  anxiety  all  along  the  road,  since  neither 
of  us,  often  as  we  had  seen  it,  could  recall  it  well  enough  to 
be  sure  of  giving  it  properly,  if  we  met  genuine  couriers,  or, 
terrible  thought,  encountered  an  inspector  making  sure  that 
the  service  was  all  it  should  be  and  on  the  outlook  for  irregu- 
larities. 

The  moment  they  were  at  the  table  they  bawled  for  instant 
service,  urged  the  host,  reviled  the  slaves,  fell  on  their  food 
like  wolves,  eating  greedily  and  hurriedly  and  guzzling  their 
wine.  We  could  catch  most  of  their  orders,  but  of  their 
almost  equally  loud  conversation,  since  they  talked  with  their 
mouths  full,  we  caught  only  the  words  "Dertona"  and 
"Crixia";  these  comforted  us;  either  they  had  left  Rome 
before  us  and  we  had  overtaken  them,  or  they  came  from 
Ancona  or  somewhere  on  the  road  from  Ancona  to  Dertona 
or  more  likely  from  Aquileia,  or  somewhere  on  the  road  from 
it,  or  perhaps  even  from  beyond  it. 

They  disposed  of  relishes,  boiling  stew,  a  mountain  of 
bread,  and  a  lake  of  wine,  besides  olives  and  fruit,  in  an 
incredibly  short  time,  and  then,  again  perfunctorily  saluting 
us,  rushed  out. 

Our  fish  had  just  been  served  and  were  as  good  as  prophe- 


GALLOPING  275 

Bied.  A  moment  after  the  exit  of  the  couriers  there  entered 
a  plump,  pompous  individual,  every  line  of  whose  person  and 
attire  advertised  him  a  local  dandy,  while  every  lineament 
and  expression  of  his  face,  his  every  attitude  and  movement, 
equally  proclaimed  him  a  busybody. 

He  walked  straight  to  our  table,  bowed  to  us  and  nodded 
to  one  of  the  slave-waiters,  who  instantly  and  obsequiously 
vanished.  Our  new  table-companion  at  once  entered  into 
conversation  with  us,  speaking  civilly,  but  with  an  irritating 
self-sufficiency. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "I  am  acquainted  with  many  of 
your  calling  who  pass  through  here,  but  I  do  not  recall  hav- 
ing ever  seen  you  before.  My  estates  are  near  Tegulata  and 
I  am  chiefly  concerned  with  wine-growing.  My  wines,  in- 
deed, are  reckoned  the  best  between  BaeterraB  and  Verona. 
My  name  is  Valerius  Donnotaurus;  may  I  know  yours  ?" 

I  kept  my  eyes  on  his  face  as  I  introduced  Agathemer  as 
Bruttius  Asper  and  he  me  as  Sabinus  Felix.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  his  expression  was  not  altogether  free  from  a  mo- 
mentary gleam  of  suspicion ;  but  my  anxiety  might  have  seen 
what  was  not  there,  I  could  not  be  sure.  At  any  rate  he 
bowed  politely,  asked  me  whence  we  came,  when  we  had  left 
Rome,  and  the  latest  news.  He  commended  our  speed  and 
our  having  overcome  the  difficulties  of  the  coast  road  between 
Genoa  and  Vada  Sabatia. 

The  waiter,  according  to  some  subtle  characteristic  of  his 
nod,  brought  wine  for  three,  which  he  assured  us  was  wine 
from  his  estates,  though  not  his  best,  yet  worth  trying,  and 
he  invited  us  to  drink  with  him.  We  could  not  well  refuse 
and  we  were  glad  to  be  able  to  praise  the  wine,  which,  for 
Gallic  wine,  was  really  not  so  bad.  Before  we  had  finished 
our  fish  he  excused  himself  and  went  out. 

We  dallied  with  our  food,  counting  on  giving  the  two 
couriers  time  to  get  away  before  we  came  out  into  the 
courtyard.  But  we  learned  afterwards  that,  as  we  had  shown 
our  credentials  and  ordered  fresh  horses  before  we  entered 
the  inn,  the  change-master  would  not  give  them  the  two 
best  horses  which  he  was  holding  ready  for  us  and  had  in  the 


$76  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

yard  no  other  horses.  They  had  demanded  our  fresh  horses, 
cursed  him  and  blustered,  but  could  not  move  him  and  so 
were  still  berating  him  when  Donnotaurus  came  out  to  them. 
He,  after  introducing  himself,  asking  their  names  and  route 
and,  commiserating  them  on  the  poor  supply  of  horses,  had 
casually  inquired  whether  they  were  acquainted  with  two 
couriers  named  Bruttius  Asper  and  Sabinus  Felix.  On  their 
answering  that  they  knew  both  of  them  he  had  chatted  a 
while  longer  and  then  asked  them  to  reenter  with  him  the 
inn's  common-room,  alleging  that  they  could  assist  him  on 
an  important  matter  touching  the  service  of  the  Emperor. 
According  to  the  change-master,  who  told  us  all  this  later, 
they  had  complied  in  a  hesitating  and  unwilling  manner,  as 
if  numb  and  bewildered. 

We,  dallying  over  some  excellent  fruit  and  the  not  un- 
palatable wine,  knowing  nothing  of  all  this,  saw  the  three 
reenter  together  and  approach  us,  the  couriers  looking  not 
only  reluctant,  but  dazed :  up  to  us  Donnotaurus  led  them. 

"Do  you  know  these  gentlemen  ?"  he  demanded. 

"Never  set  eyes  on  them  in  my  life,"  one  of  them  dis- 
claimed. The  other  nodded. 

"I  thought  so  I"  Donnotaurus  cried.  "These  men  claim  to 
be  Bruttius  Asper  and  Sabinus  Felix.  You  say  you  know 
Bruttius  Asper  and  Sabinus  Felix.  You  do  not  know  these 
men.  Therefore  they  are  passing  under  false  names.  They 
are  not  Imperial  couriers,  but  some  of  the  scoundrels  who 
have  been  posing  as  Imperial  couriers  and  using  the  post-roads 
for  their  own  private  ends.  I  thank  you  for  assisting  me  to 
expose  them.  It  now  remains  to  arrest  them  I'9 

I  had  thought  when  the  two  entered  first  and  saluted  us 
that  their  expression  of  face  was  queer ;  now  it  was  queerer : 
they  looked  like  some  of  the  deer  we  had  seen  in  the  net- 
pocket  at  Spinella,  frantic  to  escape  and  seeing  no  way  out. 

One  mumbled  something  about  having  barely  seen  Bruttius 
Asper  and  Sabinus  Felix  and  not  being  sure  that  we  were 
not  they.  But  Donnotaurus  neither  heard  nor  heeded. 

"Here,  Tectosax!"  he  called  to  the  host,  "come  help  us 


GALLOPING  377 

arrest  these  men !  They  are  bogus !  They  are  shams !  They 
are  not  couriers!" 

"One  man  arrest  two!"  the  host  demurred. 

"I  only  want  your  help/'  Donnotaurus  bawled.  "Call 
Areconms  and  the  ostlers.  They  can  make  short  work  of  it." 

At  this  point  Agathemer  found  his  voice,  and  he  spoke 
steadily,  coolly  and  firmly,  even  with  a  bit  of  a  drawl. 

"Don't  do  anything  you  will  have  to  be  sorry  for/'  he  said. 
"Better  not  make  any  mistake." 

At  his  utterance  the  two  couriers  were  manifestly  even 
more  uncomfortable  than  before.  But  Donnotaurus  only 
bawled  louder  to  the  host. 

"I  don't  arrest  travellers,"  the  host  protested,  "I  feed  'em. 
Arecomus  don't  arrest  travellers,  he  horses  'em.  Anyhow, 
there's  no  magistrate  here;  talking  of  arresting  is  folly. 

"And  I  wish  you'd  quit  your  foolishness,  Donnotaurus. 
This  is  the  third  row  you've  started  here  within  six  months. 
You're  giving  my  inn  a  bad  name  and  ruining  my  trade. 
You're  my  best  customer,  yourself,  but  you  are  more  nui- 
sance than  all  the  rest  of  my  customers  put  together.  I'd 
rather  you'd  move  out  of  the  neighborhood  or  keep  away 
from  my  inn  than  go  on  with  such  nonsense.  I  don't  want 
anybody  arrested  on  my  premises  or  threatened  with  arrest. 
And  you've  nothing  to  go  on  in  this  case,  anyhow." 

Donnotaurus  appeared  at  a  loss,  but  obstinate  and  about 
to  insist,  when  the  doors  opened  and  there  entered  a  bevy  of 
staff  officers,  all  green  and  gold  and  blue  and  silver,  clustered 
about  a  huge  man  in  the  full  regalia  of  a  general,  his  crimson 
plumes  nodding  above  his  golden  helmet,  his  crimson  cloak 
dangling  about  his  golden  cuirass,  his  gilt  kilt-straps  gleam- 
ing over  his  crimson  tunic-skirt.  There  was  no  mistaking 
that  incredible  expanse  of  face,  seemingly  as  big  as  the  body 
of  an  ordinary  man,  those  bleary  gray  eyes  under  the  shaggy 
eyebrows,  their  great  baggy  lower  lids,  the  heavy  cheeks  and 
the  vast  sweep  of  russet  beard. 

It  was  Pescennius  Niger  himself! 

As  he  was  later  proclaimed  Emperor  and  narrowly  missed 


378  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

overcoming  his  competitors  and  emerging  master  of  the 
world,  the  mere  encounter  has  a  certain  interest.  Its  details, 
I  think,  even  more. 

Up  to  us  he  strode. 

"What's  all  this?"  he  demanded  in  his  big,  authoritative 
voice.  Agathemer  and  I  stood  up  and  saluted. 

I  expected  Agathemer,  who  knew  the  value  of  speaking 
first,  to  anticipate  Donnotaurus,  but  he  let  Donnotaurus  give 
his  version  of  the  affair. 

"I'm  competent  to  decide  this,"  said  Pescennius,  "and  I 
shall." 

And  he  eyed  us,  asking:  "What  have  you  two  to  say?" 

"In  the  first  place/'  said  Agathemer,  "I  ask  you  to  exam- 
ine our  papers." 

He  took  from  the  seat  of  his  chair,  where  he  had  placed 
it  as  he  stood  up,  our  despatch  bag,  opened  it,  and  displayed 
its  contents;  the  package  of  despatches,  our  credentials,  and 
the  diploma  entitling  us  to  change  of  horses,  with  the  en- 
dorsement of  each  change-master  from  Centumcellae  onwards. 

Pescennius  examined  these  meditatively. 

"These  papers,"  he  said,  "are  in  perfect  order.  But  they 
do  not  prove  that  you  are  the  men  named  in  them  though 
they  incline  me  to  believe  it.  I  should  believe  it,  but  these 
men  deny  that  you  are  Bruttius  Asper  and  Sabinus  Felix." 

"And  why  do  they  deny  it?"  Agathemer  queried  trium- 
phantly. "Why,  because  they  were  caught  by  this  busybody 
and  asked  whether  they  knew  Bruttius  Asper  and  Sabinus 
Felix  and  they  said  they  did;  then  haled  in  here  by  him  and 
confronted  with  us  and  asked  whether  they  knew  us  and  of 
course  said  they  did  not,  as  they  did  not.  And  why  do  they 
not  know  us?  Because  they  are  not  couriers  at  all,  but  men 
passing  themselves  off  as  couriers.  Our  papers  are  in  perfect 
order,  as  you  say.  Ask  them  for  their  papers.  They  haven't 
any!" 

By  the  faces  of  the  two  I  saw  that  Agathemer  had  guessed 
right.  They,  in  fact,  were  impostors.  They  had  no  des- 
patches, no  credentials,  no  papers  at  all,  except  a  diploma 
with  entries  from  Bononia,  through  Parma,  Placentia  and 


MARSEILLES  AND  TIBER  WHARF        379 

Clastidium  to  Dertona  and  so  onwards;  a  diploma  so  mani- 
festly a  clumsy  forgery  that,  at  sight  of  it,  I  wondered  how 
it  had  fooled  the  stupidest  change-master. 

Pescennius  barely  glanced  at  it.  To  his  apparitors  he 
said: 

"Arrest  these  three !" 

In  a  trice  Donnotaurus  and  the  two  impostors  were  seized. 

To  us  he  said: 

"Gentlemen,  I  apologize  for  having  doubted  you,  even  for 
a  moment.  And  I  thank  you  for  having  so  cleverly  and 
quietly  exposed  these  precious  gentry.  I  shall  keep  an  eye 
on  them  and  on  this  local  meddler;  I'll  investigate  them  in 
Marseilles. 

"Meantime  I  must  eat.  So  I'll  remain  here.  You  are  in 
haste  and  you  have  eaten.  Your  horses  are  ready.  I  need 
not  detain  you.  I'll  see  you  at  Marseilles  tomorrow.  I  con- 
gratulate you  on  your  horsemanship.  To  have  overtaken 
me,  even  when  I  am  travelling  by  carriage,  is  no  mean  ex- 
ploit. I  am  pleased  to  have  made  your  acquaintance." 

And  he  bade  us  farewell,  allowed  us  to  pass  out,  and  seated 
himself  at  our  table. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

MARSEILLES  AND  TIBER  WHARF 

WE  rode  the  first  mile  at  full  gallop  and  then  slowed 
to  an  easy  canter  which  permitted  of  conversation. 
All  the  way  to  Calcaria  we  discussed  our  situation,  prospects 
and  plans.  We  revised  our  previous  view  and  agreed  that 
we  had  best  not  be  too  late  entering  Marseilles,  as  we  might 
not  have  time  to  buy  cloaks,  hats  and  footgear,  change  and 
get  rid  of  our  equipment  and  find  lodgings. 

Then  again,  of  course,  we  fell  into  a  panic  at  the  idea 
of  riding  into  Couriers'  Headquarters  and  perhaps  facing  a 
dozen  men  who  knew  Sabinus  Felix  and  Bruttius  Asper  as 
well  as  we  knew  each  other.  We  went  over,  for  the  tenth 


*80  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

time,  a  series  of  absurd  suggestions  and  tried  to  conceive 
some  way  by  which  we  might  sneak  in  at  some  other  gate 
than  that  to  which  our  road  led,  might  avoid  delivering  our 
despatches  and  might  find  ourselves  safe  in  ordinary  clothes 
in  some  obscure  lodging. 

But  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  highly 
suspicious  to  act  otherwise  than  as  genuine  couriers  would 
act.  There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  ask  our  way  to  Couriers' 
Headquarters,  which  would  not  arouse  suspicion,  since  couriers 
unacquainted  with  Marseilles  must  be  constantly  arriving 
there,  as  green  or  shifted  couriers  did  at  all  cities;  to  ride 
boldly  in;  to  take  what  came  if  we  were  exposed,  to  deliver 
our  despatches  and  stroll  out  for  an  airing  if  we  had  luck. 

Even  if  we  had  luck  so  far  I  could  not  forecast  our  being 
able  to  buy  ordinary  clothing  and  change  into  it  without 
causing  suspicion,  investigation,  and  our  arrest  and  ruin. 
Agathemer  argued  that,  if  Maternus  could  find,  in  Home,  a 
bath  where  we  could  bathe  without  anyone  so  much  as  notic- 
ing our  brand-marks  and  scourge-scars,  he  ought  to  be  able 
to  find  in  wicked,  easy-going  Marseilles  a  shop  whose  pro- 
prietor would  ask  no  question  except  had  we  the  cash.  I 
was  palpitating  with  panic  and  could  foresee  in  a  shopkeeper 
only  an  informer,  greedy  for  a  reward  for  our  apprehension. 

Agathemer  asked: 

"Didn't  I  get  us  out  of  our  troubles  at  Tegulata?" 

"You  certainly  did !"  I  replied.     "To  a  marvel." 

"Well,"  he  pursued,  "I  have  full  confidence  in  my  intuitior 
and  my  resourcefulness.  I  feel  that  I  can  get  us  out  of 
our  troubles  at  Marseilles,  if  you  will  let  me  alone  and  not 
interfere." 

"I  certainly  won't  interfere,"  I  said,  "to  spoil  any  chance 
you  think  you  see.  If  you  see  one,  signal  me  and  I'll  let  you 
use  all  your  dexterity." 

After  that  we  rode  evenly  to  Calcaria  and  even  gaily  from 
there  to  Marseilles,  which  we  entered  about  two  hours  before 
sunset  of  a  mild,  fair,  delightful  afternoon. 

The  gate-guard  took  our  questions  as  a  matter  of  course 
and  directed  us  to  Couriers'  Headquarters.  There  we  found 


MARSEILLES  AND  TIBER  WHARF       281 

only  one  very  stupid  Gallic  provincial  in  charge,  with  a  few 
slaves. 

"I,"  said  he,  "am  Gams  Valerius  Procillus." 

And  he  fingered  the  package  of  despatches,  eyeing  us 
meditatively.  I  quaked,  but  kept  my  countenance. 

He  eyed  us  yet  longer,  but  made  no  comment,  wrote  out 
a  formal  receipt  for  the  despatches,  handed  it  to  Agathemer 
and  said: 

"Munatius  will  not  be  back  here  at  Headquarters  till  to- 
morrow. So  I  cannot  tell  you  whether  you  will  have  a  day 
or  more  of  rest,  which  you  have  earned,  or  must  set  off  again 
at  once.  Nor  can  I  tell  you  whether,  when  you  do  set  off, 
it  will  be  back  to  Kome,  or  onward  with  some  of  these  same 
despatches  to  Spain  or  Britain  or  Germany. 

"Make  the  most  of  your  time  for  rest  and  refreshment. 
You  are  free  till  tomorrow  at  sunrise.  Dromo  will  show 
you  your  quarters." 

And  he  beckoned  one  of  the  slaves. 

Headquarters  was  a  low  rectangle  of  two  stories  only, 
built  of  some  stone  like  lime-stone,  roofed  with  red  tiles  and 
set  about  a  spacious  courtyard.  The  ground  floor  seemed 
mostly  stables;  but,  besides  the  office  in  which  we  had  found 
Procillus,  it  had  other  office  rooms,  a  common-room,  and  we 
glimpsed  a  bath  and  a  kitchen.  Dromo  led  us  up  the  stone 
stair  and  along  the  colonnaded  portico  of  the  second  floor  to 
clean  rooms,  provided  with  comfortable  cots,  chests,  stools, 
and  not  much  else. 

We  threw  our  wallets  on  our  cots  and  sat  on  stools.  As 
soon  as  Dromo  was  gone  we  opened  our  wallets,  made  our- 
selves comfortable,  disposed  all  our  money  about  us  in  the 
body-belts  we  had  bought  at  Genoa  and  went  out,  unopposed 
and  apparently  unremarked. 

Through  the  lively  streets  of  Marseilles,  in  the  mellow 
glow  of  the  evening  sunshine,  we  made  for  the  harborside, 
Agathemer  nosing  the  air  like  a  dog  on  the  scent.  Presently 
he  remarked : 

"We  are  not  far  from  what  I  am  looking  for." 

And  he  turned  up  a  side  street  to  our  right.     As  we  took 


282  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

turn  after  turn  each  street  was  less  savory  and  more  dis* 
reputable  than  the  *ast  till  we  were  in  a  sort  of  alley  popu- 
lated it  seemed  by  slatternly  trulls  and  trollops. 

"This/'  said  Agathemer,  "is  the  quarter  of  the  town  I  am 
after,  but  not  quite  the  part  of  it  I  want." 

At  the  end  of  the  alley  he  questioned  a  boy,  a  typical  Mar- 
seilles street  gamin.  The  lad  nodded  and  led  us  still  to 
our  right,  doubling  back.  After  two  or  three  turns  Agathe- 
mer was  for  dismissing  him.  But  the  lad  insisted  on  con- 
voying us  to  some  definite  destination  he  had  in  mind. 

Agathemer  displayed  a  coin. 

"Take  that  and  get  out  and  you  are  welcome  to  it,"  he 
said.  "If  you  do  not  agree  to  get  out  and  to  take  it,  you 
get  nothing." 

The  boy  eyed  his  face,  took  the  coin,  and  vanished. 

Unescorted  we  strolled  along  a  clean  street,  all  whitewashed 
blank  lower  walls  and  latticed  overhanging  balconies;  in  the 
walls  every  door  was  fast;  through  the  lattices  I  thought 
I  discerned  eyes  watching  us. 

Ahead  of  us  a  lattice  opened  and  two  faces  looked  out.  In 
fact  two  girls  leaned  out  Their  type  was  manifest:  well- 
housed,  well  clad,  well  fed,  luxurious,  loose-living,  light- 
hearted  minxes. 

One  was  plump,  full-breasted,  merry-faced,  with  intensely 
black  and  glossy  hair,  a  brunette  complexion  and  in  her 
cheeks  a  great  deal  of  brilliant  color,  which  I  afterwards 
found  was  all  her  own,  but  which  at  first  I  took  for  paint. 
She  wore  a  gown  of  a  yellow  almost  as  intense  as  the  garb 
of  the  priests  of  Cybele  in  the  Gardens  of  Verus.  Its  insist- 
ent yellow  was  intensified  and  set  oJff  by  a  girdle  of  black 
silk  cords,  braided  into  a  complicated  pattern,  and  by  shoulder- 
knots  of  black  silk,  with  dangling  fringes,  and  by  black  silk 
lacings  along  her  smocked  sleeves. 

Her  companion  was  tall  and  slender  and  melancholy  faced, 
her  hair  a  dull  reddish-gold  or  golden-red,  her  face  without 
color  and  a  bit  freckled,  her  gown  of  pale  blue. 

The  black-haired  girl  called: 

"You've  had  a  long  tide  and  you  deserve  recreation  and 


MARSEILLES  AND  TIBER  WHARF 

refreshment.  Come  in.  We  don't  know  you  two,  but  we 
have  entertained  couriers  before  this.  This  is  the  place  for 
you." 

"Ah,  my  dear/'  Agathemer  replied,  "we  not  only  have 
had  a  long  ride  but  we  may  have  to  set  out  on  a  longer  to- 
morrow, and  you  know  the  proverb : 

"  'Light  lovers  are  seldom  long  lopers.'  " 

"If  you  were  too  much  disinclined  to  being  light  lovers/* 
the  girl  retorted,  "you'd  never  be  strolling  down  this  street. 
Come  in !" 

"My  dear/'  said  Agathemer,  "we'd  love  to  come  in.  But 
remember  the  proverb: 

"  'Gay  girls  are  not  good  for  great  gallopers.' '; 

"Oh,  hang  yo.ur  proverbs,"  the  girl  laughed  down  at  us. 
"I  don't  know  what  you  are  up  to,  but  I  like  you.  You 
don't  look  as  austere  as  you  talk.  And  I  don't  mind  your 
asceticism.  If  you  don't  appreciate  the  entertainment  of- 
fered you,  you  can  have  any  sort  of  entertainment  you  prefer. 
A  goblet  of  wine  and  an  hour's  chat  won't  enervate  you  or 
make  you  less  fit.  Come  in." 

A  horrible  old  Lydian  woman,  one-eyed,  obese,  clean  enough 
of  body  and  clothing,  but  a  foul  old  beast  for  all  that,  let 
us  in. 

Agathemer  introduced  me  as  Felix  and  himself  as  Asper. 
The  merry  dark-haired  girl  was  named  Doris  and  her  lan- 
guorous comrade  Nebris.  A  more  garish  and  gaudy  creature 
than  Doris  I  have  never  beheld.  I  was  struck  with  her  pro- 
fusion of  jewels,  mostly  topazes,  but  also  many  carbuncles 
and  garnets;  rings,  bracelets,  a  necklace,  a  hair-comb  and 
many  big-headed  hair  pins.  Nebris  was  equally  bejewelled 
with  turquoises  and  opals,  but,  somehow,  they  did  not  glitter 
like  the  jewelry  on  Doris,  but  partook  of  their  wearer's  sub- 
dued coloring.  As  Doris  remarked  next  day : 

"debris  is  very  graceful  and  almost  pretty;  but  she  was 
born  faded,  and  nothing  can  brighten  her." 

We  found  the  girls  housed  in  as  neat,  cosy  and  charming- 
a  little  nest  as  heart  could  wish  for.  The  atrium  was  tiny, 
the  courtyard  was  tiny,  everything  was  tiny.  But  it  all  had 


284  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

an  air  which  put  us  at  our  ease  and  made  us  feel  at  home. 
Doris,  the  dark-haired,  red-cheeked,  full-contoured  lass,  was 
plainly  much  taken  with  Agathemer  and  he  with  her;  I 
always  had  a  weakness  for  red-headed  girls  and  felt  genu- 
inely pleased  that  Nebris,  her  long-limbed,  long-fingered, 
pale-skinned,  blurred,  bleached  comrade  seemed  equally 
taken  with  me.  The  sofas  of  the  tiny  triclinium  were  soft 
and  comfortable  and,  after  eight  days  in  the  saddle,  without 
a  bath,  we  were  glad  to  loll  on  them.  The  wine  was  good  and, 
without  any  effort,  the  four  of  us  fell  into  cheerful  chatter 
about  nothing  in  particular.  I  complimented  Doris  on  her 
dwelling  and  its  furnishings  and  she  at  once  insisted  on 
showing  us  all  over  it:  the  kitchen,  bath  and  latrine  beyond 
the  tiny  courtyard  and  upstairs  a  second  triclinium,  as  tiny 
as  that  below,  and  four  tiny  bed-rooms,  with  handsomely 
•carved  beds,  piled  with  deep,  soft  feather  beds  and  feather- 
pillows.  Doris  and  Nebris  each  had  her  bed-room  furnished 
to  harmonize  with  her  own  coloring.  I  complimented  both 
on  their  taste. 

In  Nebris's  room  Agathemer  spied  a  flageolet. 

"Do  you  play  on  this?"  he  asked. 

"Sometimes,"  she  said,  "but  Doris  declares  that  my  music 
makes  her  melancholy,  it's  so  dismal." 

"Fll  play  you  any  number  of  lively  tunes,"  Agathemer 
promised,  possessing  himself  of  the  flageolet. 

We  all  went  down  into  the  lower  triclinium,  where  we  had 
left  the  wine,  and  Agathemer  charmed  the  girls  with  his 
music  and,  indeed,  enlivened  me  as  much  as  them. 

After  a  score  of  tunes,  while  our  first  goblets  of  wine  were 
not  yet  emptied,  Agathemer  said: 

"Felix,  I  believe  I  see  a  way  out  of  our  troubles." 

"Asper,"  I  replied,  "I  leave  it  all  to  you." 

"Doris,  my  dear,"  said  Agathemer,  "we  are  not  Imperial 
Couriers  at  all." 

Doris  stared. 

"You  mean  it?"  she  asked. 

"So  help  me  Hercules,"  said  Agathemer  solemnly. 


MARSEILLES  AND  TIBER  WHARF        285 

"Well,"  she  meditated,  with  a  sharp  intake  of  her  breath. 
"You  fooled  me.  I  thought  you  were  genuine.  How  did 
you  come  in  this  rig?" 

"We  belong  in  Rome,  both  of  us,"  Agathemer  began. 
"How  we  came  in  Placentia  is  no  part  of  the  story.  But 
we  were  in  Placentia  and  we  got  into  trouble.  It  wasn't 
serious  trouble ;  we  hadn't  killed  anybody,  or  stolen  anything, 
or  cheated  anybody;  but  it  was  trouble  enough  and  aplenty 
and  we  decided  to  get  out  of  Placentia.  Roads,  road-houses, 
the  towns  wouldn't  have  been  healthy  for  us  just  then,  so 
we  took  to  the  mountains.  Not  as  brigands,  you  understand, 
but  we  hadn't  much  cash  and  coin  will  go  farther  in  the 
mountains  than  anywhere  else;  and  the  weather  was  fine 
and  we  meant  to  camp  out  all  we  could  and  stay  out  all 
summer  and  let  things  blow  over.  It  was  hot,  burning  hot 
and  we  blundered  on  a  cave,  a  nice,  big,  airy  dry  cave.  We 
went  in  to  cool  off  and  sleep.  And  we  slept  sound." 

Then  he  told  our  entire  story,  just  as  it  happened,  from 
»ur  capture  by  Maternus  and  his  band,  all  down  to  Rome, 
into  the  Gardens  of  Verus,  out  along  the  Aurelian  Highway 
among  the  tombs,  all  about  the  two  drunken  robbers  in  the 
moonlight,  all  about  our  gallop  along  the  coast,  all  about  our 
encounter  with  Pescennius  Niger. 

Nebris  kept  looking  from  Agathemer  to  me,  her  pale  gray 
eyes  wide ;  but  Doris  kept  her  snapping  brown  eyes  on  Agathe- 
mer's  face  from  his  first  word  to  his  last. 

"My !"  she  cried,  "you  have  had  adventures !  Or  you  are 
the  biggest  liar  and  the  cleverest  story-teller  I  ever  met.  If 
you  invented  that  story  you  deserve  help  as  a  paragon  among 
improvisators;  if  you  had  all  those  adventures  you  deserve 
help  ten  times  over  and  you  certainly  need  it.  Somehow  I 
believe  you.  I'll  help  you  all  I  can.  You  are  in  the  right 
place." 

And  she  called: 

"Mother,  tell  Parmenio  to  find  Alopex  and  bring  him  to 
me  at  once.  Tell  him  to  be  quick." 

One  of  the  slaves  went  out,  slamming  the  door  after  him. 


286  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"Doris,"  said  Nebris,  "can  you  really  save  these  lads?" 

"I  can!"  Doris  asserted. 

"With  Pescennius  Niger  after  them?"  Nebris  quavered. 

"Even  with  Pescennius  Niger  after  them,"  Doris  declared. 

"You  must  remember/'  she  went  on,  "that  Pescennius  told 
these  lads  he  would  not  expect  to  see  them  till  tomorrow 
morning.  That  gives  me  till  dark  to  set  things  going  and 
till  about  two  hours  after  sunrise  to  finish  the  job.  Unless, 
indeed,  messengers  announcing  the  robbery  of  the  real  Sabi- 
nus  Felix  and  Bruttius  Asper  happen  to  overtake  Pescennius 
at  Tegulata  or  between  there  and  Marseilles.  Even  then  he 
can  hardly  get  on  these  lads'  trail  before  dark.  I  think  we 
shall  be  able  to  get  these  lads  away  safe,  no  matter  what 
happens.  Anyhow  let's  be  cheerful  and  make  the  best  of 
things." 

And  she  filled  our  goblets. 

Alopex  could  not  have  been  far  away.  Very  shortly  we 
heard  the  door  open  and  shut  and  a  youth  came  in,  whom 
Doris  introduced  as  Alopex.  A  more  repulsive  being  I  have 
never  seen.  He  was  of  medium  height,  slender,  habited  in 
the  embroidered,  be-fringed  garb  fashionable  among  Mar- 
seilles dandies,  his  hair  curled  and  perfumed,  his  face 
much  like  a  weasel's,  his  complexion  like  cold  porridge.  I 
then  had  my  first  glimpse  of  a  Marseilles  pimp,  and  I  never 
want  to  see  another.  To  me  he  looked  capable  of  any  mean- 
ness, of  any  treachery,  of  any  dishonor,  of  any  crime. 

"Alopex,"  Doris  commanded,  "look  these  gentlemen  over 
and  take  their  measure,  then  go  out  and  buy  hats,  cloaks, 
boots  and  wallets  for  them,  suitable  for  a  sea-voyage,  as  in- 
conspicuous as  possible,  durable  and  water-proof.  Get  a 
porter  and  bring  them  back  with  you,  in  a  bag,  so  no  one  on 
the  streets  will  know  what  the  porter  is  carrying.  Be  quick." 

"Six  gold  pieces,"  said  Alopex. 

"If  you  spend  six  gold  pieces  on  that  outfit/'  said  Doris, 
"you  are  an  ass ;  you  shall  have  six  gold  pieces,  but  bring  back 
a  reasonable  sum  in  change,  after  paying  the  porter." 

I  gave  Alopex  six  gold  pieces  and  he  went  out. 

"When  he  comes  back,"  Agathemer  asked,  "can  he  pilot  us 


MARSEILLES  AND  TIBER  WHARF        287 

to  a  bath  where  we  shall  be  as  safe  as  Felix  was  in  Rome  in 
the  bath  which  Maternus  knew  of?" 

"He  can  and  he  shall,"  Doris  replied.  "You  two  certainly 
need  a  bath:  and  however  you  are  marked  by  scourges  and 
brands,  the  marks  won't  be  noticed  at  the  bath  to  which  he 
will  lead  you." 

"How  about  a  dinner?"  Agathemer  queried. 

"Asper,  my  dear/'  said  Doris,  "you  said  you  had  plenty 
of  cash." 

"We  have,"  said  Agathemer. 

"Then,"  said  she,  "just  give  me  one  of  those  gold  pieces 
you  got  from  the  two  drunken  robbers  and  while  you  are 
bathing  I'll  order  as  fine  a  dinner  as  Marseilles  affords  and 
have  it  here  ready  to  serve  when  you  two  get  back  from  your 
bath." 

Alopex  soon  appeared  with  a  complete  outfit  for  us  and 
the  prices  which  he  announced  appeared  reasonable  to  me  and 
were  agreed  to  by  Doris.  He  handed  Agathemer  a  gold  piece 
and  three  silver  pieces. 

"Change,"  Doris  commanded,  and  we  took  off  our  boots 
and  put  on  those  Alopex  had  brought  us.  Doris  had  Par- 
menio  bundle  up  our  couriers'  attire,  boots  and  hats  and 
said: 

"I  hate  to  see  anything  wasted.  These  outfits  are  going 
to  be  found  at  Couriers'  Headquarters  and  no  one  will  ever 
suspect  how  they  got  there.  You  can  arrange  that,  Alopex, 
can't  you  ?" 

"Easy  as  that,"  said  Alopex,  snapping  his  fingers. 

"Then  you  do  it/'  she  ordered,  "and  now  take  these  gentle- 
men to  Sosia's  bathhouse  and  give  him  the  tip  that  they  are 
aU  right." 

Alopex  acceded  sulkily  but  obediently.  That  bath  refreshed 
me  amazingly  and  Agathemer  seemed  to  enjoy  it  as  much 
as  I  did.  It  was  after  sunset  when  we  were  back  with  Doris 
and  Nebris,  but  still  far  from  dark;  in  fact,  light  enough  to 
see  well. 

"Now  Alopex,"  said  Doris,  briskly,  "make  your  best  speed 
to  the  harborside  and  see  if  you  can  find  a  sure  ship  sailing 


288  ANDIVITJS  HEDULIO 

at  dawn,  with  a  captain  we  can  trust,  to  get  these  lads  out 
of  Marseilles  at  once.  I  doubt  if  you  can  find  one,  but  do 
your  best." 

"We  want  a  ship  for  Antioch,"  Agathemer  put  in. 

"Alopex,"  said  Doris,  "find  a  ship  to  get  these  lads  out  of 
Marseilles  at  dawn,  never  mind  where  it  is  bound  for.  Now 
go.  And  come  back  and  report,  tonight,  sure,  and  as  soon 
as  you  can/' 

When  he  was  gone  she  rounded  on  Agathemer : 

"Asper,"  said  she,  "I  am  ashamed  of  you.  You  are  a 
fool.  With  Pescennius  Niger  likely  after  you,  foaming  at  the 
mouth,  raging  because  he  let  you  slip  through  his  fingers, 
you  talk  of  picking  and  choosing  a  destination?  Why  lad,  it 
makes  no  difference  where  the  ship  is  bound  so  it  is  sea- 
worthy, has  a  captain  I  can  trust  and  is  headed  away  from 
Marseilles.  The  point  for  you  two  is  to  get  away  from  Mar- 
seilles quick.  Whether  you  land  at  Carthage,  or  even  Cadiz, 
makes  no  difference.  You  can  reship  from  anywhere  to  any- 
where, once  you  are  clear  of  Marseilles.  You  might  linger 
in  Marseilles,  under  my  protection,  but  for  your  encounter 
with  Pescennius  Niger.  But  after  that  there  is  nothing  for 
you  to  do  but  get  away  quick/' 

She  paused  for  breath,  shaking  her  finger  at  us,  like  a 
nurse  at  naughty  children. 

"And  now,"  said  she,  "let's  get  at  that  dinner.  I'm  hungry 
and  I'm  sure  you  ought  to  be." 

We  were.  And  the  dinner  was  excellent,  much  of  it  un- 
familiar. The  Marseilles  oysters  had  a  flavor  novel,  odd,  not 
agreeable  at  first,  but  very  likable  after  a  bit  of  experience 
with  it.  Everything  out  of  the  sea  was  tasty.  The  main 
dish  was  a  wonderful  stew  of  fish,  for  which,  Nebris  told  us, 
Marseilles  was  famous.  It  was  flavored  with  any  number  of 
vegetables  and  relishes,  and  had  bits  of  meat  in  it,  but  fish 
was  the  chief  ingredient  and  the  blended  flavors  made  it  a 
most  appetizing  viand. 

We  ate  slowly,  had  just  finished  our  fruit  and  Agathemer 
was  playing  the  flageolet  to  the  accompaniment  of  enthusiastic 
applause  from  both  girls  when  Alopex  returned.  He  reported 


MARSEILLES  AND  TIBER  WHARF       289 

that  no  ship  could  possibly  be  gotten  for  us  the  next  morning 
and  vowed  that  it  would  likely  take  him  all  day  to  find  one 
for  the  morning  after. 

"Then  run  off,  like  a  good  boy/'  said  Doris,  "and  get  a 
good  long  sleep  so  as  to  be  fresh  tomorrow.  Start  before 
daylight  and  report  to  me  before  noon.  Kun  along." 

"How  about  lodging  for  us  ?"  Agathemer  queried. 

Doris  half  chuckled,  half  snorted. 

"Run  along,  Alopex,"  she  commanded. 

When  he  was  gone  she  faced  Agathemer,  arms  akimbo. 

"Asper,"  she  said,  "I'm  going  to  save  you  two  lads,  no 
matter  how  idiotically  you  act  or  talk.  I  like  you,  in  spite 
of  your  ridiculous  ascetic  airs  and  your  nonsensical  assump- 
tion of  austerity.  You  can't  make  me  angry  nor  lose  my 
protection,  no  matter  how  rude  and  chilly  you  are.  If  you 
two  don't  appreciate  the  kind  of  entertainment  we  are  offer- 
ing you  and  haven't  sense  enough  and  manners  enough  to 
accept  it  and  be  thankful,  you  can  sleep  here  anyhow,  where 
and  how  you  prefer.  But  you  don't  go  out  of  this  house 
tonight,  nor  yet  tomorrow,  not  if  I  know  it.  I'm  going  to 
save  you  two,  in  spite  of  your  folly." 

Naturally,  after  that,  we  stayed  where  we  were. 

Next  morning,  not  much  more  than  an  hour  after  sunrise, 
as  we  were  again  enjoying  flageolet  music  from  Agathemer, 
Alopex  returned  and  reported  that  he  had  found  a  clean, 
roomy,  seaworthy  ship,  captained  by  a  man  well  and  favorably 
known  to  him  and  Doris,  which  would  sail  for  Rome  at  dawn 
next  day. 

"That's  your  ship,"  said  Doris  to  us. 

"After  what  I  told  you,"  Agathemer  protested,  "do  you 
seriously  advise  us  to  set  sail  for  Rome?" 

"I  do,"  Doris  declared.  "Any  place  on  earth  is  healthier 
for  you  two  than  Marseilles.  Were  you  in  trouble  in  Rome 
before  you  got  into  trouble  in  Placentia?" 

"We  were,"  said  Agathemer,  "and  trouble  of  the  deepest 
dye." 

"Asper,  my  dear,"  said  Doris,  "no  matter  what  sort  of 
trouble  you  were  in  at  Rome,  Rome  can't  be  as  dangerous  for 


290  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

you  as  Marseilles.  And  by  all  I  hear,  Tiber  Wharf  is  a  fine 
locality  in  which  to  hide  and  Ostia  nearly  as  good.  Take  my 
advice  and  sail.  From  Home  or  Ostia  you  ought  to  find  it 
easy  to  ship  for  Antioch." 

"I  believe  you,"  said  Agathemer,  "but  Fd  like  to  have 
more  cash  with  me  than  I  have  and  I'd  like  to  give  you  two 
girls  enough  gold  pieces  to  serve  as  a  sort  of  indication  of  our 
gratitude.  No  gold  either  Felix  or  I  shall  ever  possess  would 
be  enough  to  repay  you  for  what  you  have  done  for  us. 

"Now  I  have  an  emerald  of  fair  size  and  of  the  best  water 
and  flawless  at  that,  sewn  into  the  hem  of  my  tunic.  Since 
you  are  so  capable  at  finding  safe  shops  and  baths  and  ships, 
perhaps  Alopex  could  guide  me  to  a  gem-expert  who  would 
like  to  buy  a  fine  emerald  and  who  would  pay  a  fair  price 
for  it  and  keep  his  mouth  shut." 

"I  had  not  meant  you  so  much  as  to  poke  your  nose  out 
of  doors  till  tomorrow  before  sunrise,"  said  Doris,  medita- 
tively, "but  Pescennius  won't  be  suspicious  yet  unless  a  post 
with  news  of  the  robbery  you  profited  by  has  already  reached 
here.  I  fancy  it  will  be  a  safe  risk  for  Alopex  to  escort  you  t<? 
our  gem-expert.  He'll  pay  you  an  honest  three-quarters  of 
the  full  value  of  your  emerald.  Alopex  and  I  get  a  rake-off 
on  his  profits,  as  we  do  on  the  fare  of  the  men  we  ship  out  of 
Marseilles.  Gems  and  fugitives  are  part  of  my  regular  line  of 
trade,  with  efficient  help  from  Alopex." 

Actually  Agathemer  was  gone  about  two  hours  and  came 
back  with  a  portly  bag  of  gold  pieces.  He  found  us  in  the 
triclinium,  Nebris  lying  on  the  sofa  with  me,  and  playing  a 
dismal  tune  on  her  flageolet,  Doris  on  the  other  sofa  laughing 
at  us.  He  lay  down  by  Doris,  spilled  the  gold  on  the  inlaid 
dining  table,  divided  it  into  four  equal  portions,  pouched  one, 
made  me  pouch  another,  and  piled  one  in  Doris's  lap,  while 
I  similarly  piled  the  other  in  Nebris's  lap. 

"Share  and  share  alike,"  said  Agathemer,  "and  you  are 
welcome  to  whatever  part  of  his  rake-off  Alopex  turns  over 
to  you." 

*Asper,"  said  Doris,  "you  are  a  dear.  Play  us  a  decent 
tune.  Nebris's  music  makes  me  doleful/' 


MARSEILLES  AND  TIBER  WHARF        29D 

We  spent  the  day  eating,  drinking,  chatting,  napping  and 
listening  to  Agathemer's  very  lively  music. 

For  dinner  we  had  another  Marseilles  fish-stew,  entirely 
different  from  the  former,  and  entirely  different  from  any- 
thing I  had  ever  eaten  elsewhere. 

Next  morning  Doris  had  us  all  up,  bathed  as  well  as  we 
could  in  her  tiny  bath,  fed  and  ready  to  set  out  long  before 
the  first  streak  of  dawn  appeared  in  the  east.  Agathemer,  on 
his  gem-selling  expedition,  had  bought  all  we  needed  to  line 
our  wallets  except  food,  and  that  Doris  supplied  in  abundance 
and  variety  and  of  a  sort  calculated  to  be  palatable  two  or 
three  days  out  at  sea. 

Doris  was  a  creature  no  man  could  forget.  She  was  buxom 
and  buoyant  and  completely  content  with  her  home,  her  way 
of  life,  her  friends  and  her  prospects ;  and  as  capable  and  com- 
petent a  human  being  as  I  ever  met.  When  Alopex  gave  his 
cautious  tap  on  the  door  and  slipped  inside  she  bade  us  fare- 
well unaffectedly,  kissed  me  like  a  mother,  and  gave  Agathe- 
mer one  sisterly  hug  and  one  smacking  kiss.  If  there  were 
tears  in  her  eyes  none  ran  down  either  cheek. 

Nebris,  on  the  other  hand,  wept  over  me  and  clung  to  me, 
with  many  kisses. 

"There  are  not  many  like  you,"  she  sobbed.  "You  are 
gentle  and  courteous.  Our  friends  are  generous  enough,  but 
they  drink  too  much  and  are  boisterous  and  rough  and  coarse. 
I  wish  you  weren't  going.  But  Pm  glad  I've  had  you  even 
for  so  short  a  time." 

And  she  gave  Agathemer  her  flageolet,  holding  it  out  to 
him  with  her  left  hand,  her  right  arm  round  my  neck. 

"Come,  come !"  Doris  bustled,  "act  sensible,  child !" 

We  tore  ourselves  away  and  followed  our  unsavory  guide 
through  the  dim,  foggy  streets.  I  distrusted  Alopex  and 
should  not  have  been  astonished  had  he  turned  us  over  to  a 
batch  of  guards,  waiting  for  us  at  any  corner.  But  he  led 
us  to  a  fine  stone  quay  by  which  was  moored  as  trig  a  mer- 
chantman as  I  ever  saw,  new  and  fresh  painted.  Her  captain 
was  a  bluff,  hearty,  wind-tanned  Maltese,  Maganno  by  name, 
swarthy,  hook-nosed  and  with  a  shock  of  black  curls.  He 


292  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

counted  the  gold  pieces  Alopex  gave  him  and  said,  in  Latin 
with  a  strong  Punic  accent : 

"My  ship  is  yours  from  here  to  Tiber  wharf." 

We  shook  hands  on  it,  went  on  board  and  she  cast  off  at 
once  and  was  out  of  the  harbor  before  the  sun  had  dispersed 
the  fog.  To  our  surprise  we  set  a  course  not  about  south- 
east as  we  had  expected,  but  along  the  coast  until  we  passed 
Ulbia,  and  then  almost  due  east.  Maganno  explained : 

"Give  me  the  open  sea.  You  Italians  are  always  for  hug- 
ging the  shore :  we  Maltese,  like  our  Phoenician  ancestors,  are 
all  for  clear  water.  Pve  sailed  between  Corsica  and  Sardinia, 
and  once  was  enough  for  me.  Pve  made  this  cruise  many 
times  and  I  always  prefer  to  weather  the  Holy  Cape." 

North  of  Corsica,  in  fact,  we  sped,  with  a  fair  following 
wind  and  we  had  an  unsurpassably  fortunate  voyage;  skies 
clear,  wind  always  favorable,  steady  and  neither  too  gentle 
nor  too  strong.  Our  time  we  spent  on  deck  from  before  sun- 
rise till  long  after  sunset,  dozing  through  the  heat  of  the 
day;  Agathemer,  when  awake,  playing  on  his  flageolet,  more 
often  than  he  was  silent,  to  the  delight  of  all  on  board.  The 
crew  were  mostly  Maltese,  like  their  master,  using  indiffer- 
ently their  own  dialect,  Greek  of  a  sort  and  very  poor  Latin. 
Maganno's  Latin  was  better  than  theirs,  but  all  racy  with  his 
accent. 

When  we  were  already  in  sight  of  the  mouth  of  the  Tiber 
he  sat  down  by  us  and  said: 

"I  was  told  that  you  lads  were  in  trouble.  But,  certainly, 
you  are  lucky  voyagers.  I  have  sailed  from  Ostia  to  Mar- 
seilles and  from  Marseilles  to  Ostia  forty-one  times,  and  this 
forty-second  is  the  easiest  and  quickest  passage  ever  I  made. 
I  like  you  lads.  Anybody  Doris  recommends  I  always  help, 
for  her  sake.  I'll  also  help  you  for  your  own.  Tell  me 
your  plans  and  Pll  do  my  best  for  you." 

He  agreed  with  us  that  both  the  Northern  Harbor  and  Ostia 
were  certain  to  be  swarming  with  spies  and  secret-service 
agents  and  informers:  so,  for  that  matter,  was  the  harbor- 
side  of  Borne  along  the  Tiber :  but  Home,  being  many  times 


MARSEILLES  AND  TIBER  WHARF        293 

as  large  as  Ostia,  was  likely  to  be  proportionately  easier  to 
hide  in. 

"That's  where  a  small  merchantman  like  mine/'  said  he, 
"beats  any  big  one.  That's  why  I  sail  always  a  small  ship, 
never  a  big  ship.  A  big  merchantman  must  berth  at  Ostia 
or  at  the  Northern  Harbor.  My  ship  can  sail  on  up  the  Tiber 
to  Rome.  And  I  shall.  You  come  on  up  with  me." 

His  advice  seemed  good.  We  decided  to  stay  on  the  ship 
all  the  way  up  to  Rome,  and  we  did,  lolling  on  deck  to  Agathe- 
mer's  piping  in  the  mellow  sunshine. 

So  idling  we  spoke  more  than  once  of  the  Aemilian  Sibyl 
and  of  this  second  fulfillment  of  her  acrid  prophecy. 

Maganno  promised  to  find  us  a  ship  loading  for  Antioch; 
seaworthy,  roomy  and  with  a  trustworthy  captain. 

This  could  not  be  done  quickly  and,  he  found  us,  meantime, 
lodgings  with  a  friend  of  his,  a  fat,  bald,  one-eyed  cook- 
shopkeeper  named  Colgius,  who  rented  us  a  tiny  room  over 
his  eating-room,  which  was  not  far  from  the  Ostian  Gate, 
between  the  public  warehouses  and  the  slope  of  the  Aventine. 

At  his  table  we  fared  pretty  well,  for  his  prices  were  low, 
his  wine  drinkable,  and  most  of  his  food  eatable,  though  we 
did  not  try  a  second  time  the  viands  for  which  he  had  the 
briskest  demand :  a  very  greasy  pork  stew  of  which  he  was  in- 
ordinately proud,  amazingly  rank  ham,  and  incredibly  strong 
Campanian  cheese;  all  three  of  which  seemed  to  delight  his 
customers,  who  were  an  astonishing  medley  of  slaves  and 
freemen:  porters,  stevedores,  inspectors'  assistants,  coopers, 
mariners,  jar-markers,  gig-drivers,  teamsters,  drivers  of  all 
sorts  of  hired  vehicles,  drovers  who  herded  cattle  from  Ostia 
to  the  cattle-market,  vendors  of  sulphur-dipped  kindling- 
splints,  collectors  of  street  filth  and  others  equally  low  in 
class,  equally  novel  to  me. 

Colgius  took  a  fancy  to  us  and  undertook  to  show  us  Rome. 
It  struck  me  oddly  that,  whereas  Nona,  in  every  fiber  an 
Umbrian  Gaul,  and  Maternus,  who  had  spent  all  his  life 
beyond  the  Alps,  had  both,  at  first  glance,  recognized  us  for 
what  we  were,  Roman  master  and  Greek  servant,  this  Roman 


294  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  the  Romans,  keen  for  personal  profit,  habituated  to  the 
sight  of  men  from  all  ports,  accepted  us  for  Gallic  provin- 
cials, and  never  suspected  that  we  were  anything  else. 


CHAPTER  XX 

CTTARTOTEERIN-Q 

SIGHT-SEEING  in  Rome,  in  the  guise  of  Gallic  wastrels, 
under  the  tutelage  of  a  harborside  slum  host,  was  truly 
an  experience  for  me  after  my  former  station  as  a  nobleman 
of  the  Republic,  and  my  ruin  and  disguise  and  flight.  I 
positively  enjoyed  it. 

First  of  all  Colgius  was  for  showing  us  over  the  stables 
of  the  Reds,  for  he  was  mad  about  racing  and  boasted  that 
he  had  bet  on  the  Reds  since  he  was  six  years  old  and  his 
father  gave  him  his  first  copper.  But  I  demurred  and 
pointed  out  that  none  of  the  racing-stables  were  fit  places 
for  us,  since  a  steady  stream  of  Spanish  horses  trickled 
through  Marseilles  and  on  through  Vada  Sabatia  and  Genoa 
to  Rome,  and  there  was  too  great  a  probability  that  we  might 
come  face  to  face  with  some  groom,  hostler  or  hanger-on  from 
Marseilles  who  would  know  us  at  sight.  Colgius  yielded 
to  this  argument  and  agreed  that  we  must  avoid  all  the 
racing  stables.  This  greatly  relieved  us,  since,  while  neither 
I  nor  Agathemer  had  been  devotees  of  the  sport,  both  of 
us  had  been  through  all  six  establishments  often  enough  to 
be  likely  to  be  recognized  in  any  one  of  them. 

Baffled  in  his  first  choice  and,  apparently,  in  his  only 
choice,  Colgius  asked  us  what  we  wanted  to  see.  I  said  I 
wanted  most  to  see  a  day  of  racing  in  the  circus,  blurting  out 
this  rather  foolish  utterance  without  reflection,  merely  be- 
cause I  thought  it  would  seem  natural  to  him.  He  replied 
that  that  would  be  easy,  but  that  the  next  racing  day  was 
day  after  tomorrow:  what  would  we  like  to  do  today? 

I  said  I  wanted  first  of  all  to  be  shown  the  Temple  of 
Mercury,  for  I  wanted  to  make  an  offering  to  the  god. 


CHARIOTEERING  295 

"Oh,  yes,"  he  said,  "Mercury  is  your  chief  god  in  Gaul, 
isn't  he,  and  you  put  him  ahead  of  Jupiter.  What  is  it 
you  call  him  ?" 

"You  are  thinking  of  the  Belgians,"  I  said,  "and  of  the 
Gauls  in  the  Valley  of  the  Liger.  They  call  Mercury  Tiv  or 
Tir  and  regard  him  as  their  chief  god.  But  we  provincials 
never  had  any  such  ideas :  we  worship  the  same  gods  as  you, 
in  the  same  way.  But  I,  personally,  while  revering  Jupiter 
as  king  of  the  gods,  have  always  particularly  sought  the 
favor  of  Mercury." 

Off  we  went  to  the  meat  market  and  I  bought  there  two 
white  hens,  as  on  the  day  of  my  flight,  more  than  a  year 
before.  With  one  under  each  arm  I  then  followed  Colgius 
to  the  Temple  of  Mercury  and  there  made  my  prayers  and 
offering. 

When  we  came  out  he,  of  course,  began  to  display  the  out- 
side of  the  Great  Circus  and  to  tell  me  of  its  glories,  which, 
he  said,  he  would  show  me  from  the  inside  the  day  after 
tomorrow.  The  life  there  was  much  as  Maternus  and  I  had 
seen  it  twenty-three  days  before. 

We  could  not  avoid  following  Colgius  about  Rome,  round 
the  Palatine,  the  Colosseum  and  the  Baths  of  Titus  and 
through  the  Forums  of  Vespasian,  Nerva,  Augustus  and 
Trajan.  At  Trajan's  Temple  he  reiterated  his  regrets  that 
we  dare  not  go  on  to  the  stables  of  the  Eeds,  and  turned  back 
through  Trajan's  Forum,  the  Forum  of  the  Divine  Julius 
and  the  Great  Forum.  Of  course,  I  was  quaking  with 
dread  for  fear  some  lifelong  acquaintance  would  recognize 
me,  even  in  my  coarse  attire.  But  none  did:  in  fact  I  set 
eyes  on  no  one  I  knew,  except  Faltonius  Bambilio,  who  was 
pompously  lecturing  ten  victims  in  the  Ulpian  Basilica.  I 
was  certain  that  his  eyes  were  only  on  his  auditors ;  the  sight 
of  him  did  not  alarm  me,  he  never  paid  any  attention  to 
those  he  considered  his  inferiors. 

All  along  Agathemer  and  I  were  bursting  with  suppressed 
giggles:  Colgius  paid  very  little  attention  to  the  Palace, 
the  Great  Amphitheater,  the  magnificent  public  baths,  the 
temples  or  to  any  of  the  glories  about  us;  he  was  all  for 


296  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

cook-shops  and  hauled  us  into  cook-shops  without  number, 
sometimes  presenting  his  Gallic  friends,  Asper  and  Felix, 
to  his  good  friend,  the  proprietor,  sometimes  bursting  into 
invectives  against  the  bad  cookery,  infinitesimal  portions  or 
absurd  prices  of  his  enemies'  establishments.  In  cook-shops 
Agathemer  and  I  felt  safe,  near  a  cook-shop  we  felt  almost 
safe,  between  cook-shops,  companioned  by  Colgius  and  any 
cook-shop  frequenters  we  met,  we  felt  more  than  a  little  safe. 
To  our  thinking  no  spy,  informer  or  secret  service  agent 
would  feel  suspicious  towards  Colgius  and  his  friends,  nor 
towards  us  in  their  company,  and  he  presented  us  to  idlers, 
loafers,  touts,  betting  agents,  sellers  of  tips  on  the  races, 
friends  of  jockeys,  cousins  of  hostlers  and  such  like  to  an 
amazing  number. 

We  found  all  Eome,  as  we  saw  it  in  the  company  of  Col- 
gius, humming  with  two  names  and  we  made  sure  that,  if 
they  buzzed  in  such  company  as  we  were  in  they  also  formed 
the  chief  topics  of  conversation  in  all  parts  of  the  city  and 
at  every  level  of  society  from  the  senators  down. 

One  name  we  had  heard  when  in  Eome  with  Maternus, 
but  had  barely  heard  it;  now  we  heard  it  everywhere;  the 
name  of  Palus,  the  charioteer;  Palus,  the  incomparable 
jockey;  Palus,  the  king  of  horsemasters ;  Palus  the  chum 
of  Commodus.  Both  of  him,  and  about  him,  not  only  from 
the  men  who  talked  to  us,  but  also  from  bystanders,  diners 
and  idlers,  who  never  noticed  us  or  knew  that  we  overheard 
them,  we  heard  the  most  amazing  stories : 

He  could  guide  six  horses  galloping  abreast  between  the 
test-pillars  for  tyros  driving  four-abreast  and  never  jostle 
a  pillar  or  throw  a  horse;  he  had  done  it  time  after  time; 
he  had  won  three  races,  driving  seven  horses  abreast,  his 
competitors  driving  four  abreast;  he  had  won  a  race,  with 
a  team  of  four  Cappodocian  stallions,  guiding  them  without 
reins,  by  his  voice  only;  he  was  the  most  graceful  charioteer, 
bar  no  one,  ever  seen  in  Eome. 

As  to  his  origin  and  personality  the  stories  were  not  only 
fantastic,  but  divergent,  contradictory  or  incompatible. 

If  we  might  believe  what  we  heard  he  had  been  presented 


CHARIOTEERING  297 

to  Commodus  by  the  same  nobleman  who  had  presented 
Murmex  Lucro,  and  on  the  very  next  day;  he  was  from 
Apulia;  he  was  a  Eoman  all  his  days;  he  was  a  Sabine;  he 
was  a  nobleman  in  disguise,  he  had  been  a  foundling  brought 
up  in  the  Subura;  he  was  a  half  brother  of  Commodus,  off- 
spring of  an  amour  between  Faustina  and  a  gladiator,  reared 
in  Samnium  on  a  farm,  lately  recognized  and  accepted  by 
the  Emperor;  he  was  Commodus  himself  in  disguise. 

All  this,  you  may  be  sure,  made  us  prick  up  our  ears. 
Still  more  did  we  at  the  sound  of  the  other  much-bandied 
name.  Here  again  the  tales  were  varied,  inconsistent,  antag- 
onistic. 

But  the  name ! 

That  name  was: 

Marcia ! 

Marcia  was  in  control  of  Commodus,  of  the  Emperor,  of 
the  Republic,  of  the  Empire.  She  was  domiciled  in  the 
Palace,  she  was  treated  as  Empress,  she  had  all  the  honors 
ever  accorded  an  Empress  except  that  she  never  participated 
in  public  sacrifices  or  other  ceremonial  rituals.  Crispina  had 
been  divorced  and  was  no  longer  Empress,  but  had  been  rele- 
gated, under  guard,  to  a  distant  island;  Crispina  was  still 
Empress,  but  had  withdrawn  in  disdain  from  the  Palatine, 
occupied  the  Vectilian  Palace  on  the  Caslian  Hill,  still  re- 
ceived Commodus  when  he  visited  her,  but  would  not  set 
foot  on  the  Palatine  nor  take  part  in  any  ritual  or  ceremo- 
nial; Crispina  had  been  murdered  by  Marcia's  orders,  in  her 
presence,  with  the  Emperor's  consent;  Marcia  got  on  well 
with  the  Empress,  there  was  no  jealousy  between  them,  Cris- 
pina was  glad  to  have  someone  who  could  soothe  Commodus 
in  his  periodic  rages  and  humor  him  when  he  sulked;  every 
possible  variety  of  story  about  Crispina  was  told,  but  every 
tale  represented  Marcia  as  undisputed  and  indisputable  mis- 
tress of  the  Palace  and  of  everybody  in  it. 

Of  her  origin  we  heard  mostly  versions  of  the  true  story; 
often  we  heard  named  Hyacinthus  and  Ummidius  Quadratus, 
never  my  uncle  nor  Marcus  Martius.  We  dared  not  seem 
to  know  anything  about  Marcia  and  so  could  not  name  Mar- 


298  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

cus  Martius  or  ask  after  him.  From  all  the  talk  we  heard, 
addressed  to  us  or  about  us,  his  name  was  as  absent  as  if  he 
had  never  existed. 

How  Marcia  came  to  the  Emperor's  attention,  won  his 
notice,  acquired  her  mastery  of  him,  as  to  all  this  we  heard 
not  one  word:  of  her  complete  control  of  him  and  of  all 
Eome  everyone  talked  openly. 

The  next  day  we  escaped  the  unwelcome  attention  of  Col- 
gius  because  Maganno  came  after  us  to  introduce  us  to  the 
captain  who  was  to  take  us  to  Antioch,  to  show  us  his  ship, 
and  to  make  sure  we  knew  the  wharf  at  which  she  lay  and 
how  to  reach  her.  The  ship  was  to  sail  two  days  later.  The 
captain's  name  was  Orontides,  which  struck  both  me  and 
Agathemer  as  being  the  same  as  that  of  the  most  fash- 
ionable jeweler  in  Eome,  whose  grandfather  had  come  from 
Antioch,  where,  I  suppose,  the  name  would  be  as  natural 
and  frequent  as  Tiberius  with  us. 

He  was  a  Syrian  Greek,  with  curly  brown  hair  and  brown 
eyes,  by  no  means  so  wind-tanned  and  weather-beaten  as 
Maganno,  but  manifestly  a  seaman.  He  was  bow-legged 
and  had  very  large  flat  feet. 

Orontides  looked  us  over,  approved  us,  required  a  deposit 
of  twenty  gold  pieces,  counted  them,  said  we  might  pay  the 
rest  of  his  charges  at  Antioch,  and  we  shook  hands  on  the 
bargain. 

Yet,  as  the  cost  of  the  voyage  would  land  us  in  Syria  with 
but  a  few  coins,  it  was  well  for  us  that,  later  in  the  day, 
Agathemer  found  a  dealer  in  gems  lately  come  to  Eome  and 
sold  him  another  jewel.  This  filled  our  pouches  and  left 
us  certain  of  having  gold  to  spare  until  he  could  manage  to 
find  a  purchaser  for  yet  another  gem  in  Antioch  or  else- 
where. 

Colgius,  when  we  returned  to  our  lodgings,  talked  of  noth- 
ing but  the  Games  which  were  to  be  celebrated  next  day.  He 
first  exhibited  the  togas  which  he  had  hired  for  us  to  wear; 
we,  as  fugitives,  having,  of  course,  no  togas  of  our  own. 
We  found  them  clean  and  tried  them  on.  Colgius  approved 
and  went  on  with  his  enthusiasm. 


CHARIOTEERING  299 

There  were  to  be  twenty-four  races,  all  of  four-horse  char- 
iots only,  twelve  in  the  morning,  of  six  chariots,  one  for 
each  of  the  racing  companies;  twelve  in  the  afternoon,  of 
twelve  chariots,  two  for  each  of  the  racing  companies.  Col- 
gius  discoursed  at  length  as  to  his  opinions  concerning  the 
six  companies,  inveighing  against  the  Golds  and  the  Crim- 
sons, declaring  that  they  were  rich  men's  companies,  in 
which  only  senators  and  nobles  took  any  interest  and  the 
existence  of  which  spoiled  racing. 

"You  never  heard  of  a  plain  man  like  me  betting  on 
the  Crimson  or  the  Gold/7  he  ranted,  "all  folks  of  moderate 
means,  all  the  plain  people,  all  the  populace,  bet  on  the  Eeds, 
Whites,  Greens  or  Blues.  I  agree  that  the  Greens  are  the 
most  popular  company,  most  popular  with  all  classes  from 
the  senators  and  nobles  to  the  poorest,  but  I  will  never  admit, 
as  many  claim,  that  the  Blues  have  the  second  place  in  the 
affections  of  the  people;  the  Blues,  I  maintain,  come  third 
atd  the  Eeds  have  second  place  with  all  classes.  The  Whites 
are  a  strong  fourth.  But,  as  to  the  Golds  and  the  Crimsons, 
no  one  ever  lays  a  wager  on  them  except  the  enormously  rich 
nobles  and  senators  whose  ancestors  organized  them  under 
Domitian  a  hundred  years  ago.  But  they,  being  so  enor- 
mously rich,  can  buy  the  best  horses  and  have  the  best 
jockeys.  Now  they  have  Palus.  The  Eeds  have  Scopas  and 
the  Greens  Diocles,  and  both  have  been  wonderful,  but  Palus 
can  beat  anybody. 

"They  say  he  has  wagered  an  enormous  sum  that  he  will 
win  all  of  the  twelve  races  in  which  he  is  to  run,  the  first 
six  odd  numbers  and  the  last  six  even  numbers,  and  that 
he  will  do  so  in  a  previously  specified  way;  that  he  will 
take  and  keep  first  place  in  the  first  race;  that,  in  the  others 
he  will,  at  the  start,  take  second  place,  third  place  and  so  on 
progressively  further  back  in  each,  till  he  lets  the  whole 
of  five  get  ahead  of  him  in  the  eleventh  race  and  the  whole 
field  of  eleven  have  the  start  of  him  in  the  last  race." 

Colgius  was  afraid  Palus  would  succeed  in  doing  precisely 
what  he  purposed.  The  Eeds,  if  they  won  any  races,  must 
win  in  those  in  which  Palus  did  not  start  He  judged  they 


300  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

could  not  hope  to  win  more  than  eight  of  those  twelve. 
He  was  gloomy. 

Next  day  dawned  fair,  mild,  and  with  a  gentle  breeze,  per- 
fect weather  for  spending  a  day  in  the  Circus.  To  this 
Agathemer  and  I  looked  forward  with  some  trepidation,  for 
service  men,  spies  and  informers  were  always  in  all  parts 
of  the  Circus  and  one  might  recognize  me.  But  we  comforted 
ourselves  with  the  hope  that  they  were  no  longer  on  the 
lookout  for  me.  If  I  knew  the  ways  of  secret-service  men  I 
conjectured  that  they  would  never  have  been  willing  to  re- 
port the  truth:  that  they  could  find  no  trace  of  me,  that  I 
had  vanished  utterly  and  completely.  I  would  have  been, 
willing  to  wager  that,  within  a  month  of  my  disappearance, 
some  corpse  somewhere  was  identified  as  mine  and  my  suicide 
reported  as  verified ;  which  report  had  probably  been  accepted 
at  the  Palace;  whereafter  I  would  be  off  the  minds  of  all 
secret-service  men  everywhere.  Therefore  I  felt  reasonably 
sure  that  no  agent  would  be  on  the  lookout  for  me.  Of  course 
there  was  a  chance  that  one  might  recognize  me  by  accident. 
But  this  was  so  unlikely  that  we  did  not  worry  over  it  much. 

I  was  more  concerned  for  fear  of  arousing  suspicion  in 
Colgius  by  not  behaving  as  he  would  expect  a  Gallic  Provin- 
cial to  behave  at  his  first  sight  of  the  great  games  in  the 
Circus  Maximus.  I  could  not  be  sure  at  what  he  would  ex- 
pect me  to  exclaim,  what  I  ought  to  wonder  at  and  remark 
on  to  seem  natural  in  my  assumed  role  of  Marseilles  scape- 
grace. 

We  were  a  party  of  eight,  Colgius,  his  wife  Posilla,  and 
two  teamsters  or  drovers  named  Eamnius  and  Uttius,  who 
conveyed  goods  or  convoyed  cattle  between  Ostia  and  the 
markets  of  Rome.  They  had  their  wives  with  them,  but  I  for- 
get their  names.  The  three  women  were  arrayed  in  wonder- 
ful costumes  of  cheap  fabrics  dyed  in  gaudy  hues  and  adorned 
with  jewelry  of  gilt  or  silvered  bronze  set  with  bits  of  colored 
glass.  I  had  seen  such  at  a  distance,  but  never  so  close. 

Both  Agathemer  and  I  liked  Eamnius  and  Uttius;  we  felt 
at  ease  with  them  at  first  sight.  And  they  were  evidently 
intimates  of  Colgius  and  high  in  his  favor.  He  and  they 


CHARIOTEERING  301 

wore  their  togas  with  all  the  awkwardness  to  be  expected 
from  men  who  donned  togas  only  for  Circus  games  and 
Amphitheatre  shows.  To  my  amazement  I  found  myself 
really  delighted  at  again  wearing  a  toga.  Like  all  gentlemen 
I  had  always  loathed  the  hot,  heavy  things.  But  I  found 
myself  positively  thrill  at  being  again  garbed  as  befits  a 
Roman  on  a  holiday  or  at  a  ceremonial.  Besides  I  found 
that  a  toga,  over  a  poor  man's  tunic,  was  not  nearly  so  un- 
comfortable as  it  was  over  the  more  complicated  garb  of 
a  fashionable  person  of  means  and  position. 

The  interior  of  the  Circus,  from  my  novel  location,  ap- 
peared sufficiently  strange  to  lull  my  dread  that  I  might  seem 
too  familiar  with  it.  Of  course  we  were  very  far  back,  only 
five  rows  in  front  of  the  arcade,  whereas  as  long  as  I  was 
a  nobleman  of  Eome  in  good  standing,  I  had  always  sat  in 
the  second  tier,  far  forward. 

But  what  made  much  more  difference  than  sitting  far 
back  and  high  up  instead  of  well  forward  and  low  down 
was  that  we  were  on  the  other  side  of  the  Circus  from  my 
old  seat  and  almost  directly  opposite  it.  I  had  always  sat 
in  section  E,  about  the  middle  of  the  east  side  of  the  Circus 
and  not  far  from  the  Imperial  Pavilion  in  section  C.  We 
were  in  section  P,  directly  facing  E,  and  not  far  from  the 
judges'  stand  in  section  0. 

Now  from  where  I  had  been  used  to  sitting,  facing  a 
little  south  of  west,  I  had  viewed  only  the  tiers  of  seats  and 
of  spectators,  the  upper  arcade,  and,  above  that  the  roofs  of 
the  not  very  lofty,  large  or  magnificent  temples  on  the  Aven- 
tine  Hill.  From  where  we  sat  with  Colgius  we  faced  the 
Palatine  and  I  was  overwhelmed  by  the  vastness,  beauty 
and  grandeur  of  the  great  mass  of  buildings  which  make 
up  the  Imperial  Palace.  On  a  festival  day,  of  course,  they 
were  exceptionally  gorgeous,  for  every  window  was  gar- 
landed at  the  top  and  most  displayed  tapestries  or  rugs  hung 
over  the  sill,  every  balcony  was  decorated  similarly  and  with 
greater  care  than  the  windows,  and  every  window,  balcony 
and  portico  was  a  mass  of  eager  faces.  Especially  my  eye 
was  caught  by  the  crowd  of  Palace  officials  and  servants  on 


80S  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  bulging  loggia  built  by  Hadrian  in  order  to  be  able 
to  catch  glimpses  of  games  when  he  was  too  busy  to  occupy 
the  Imperial  Pavilion  in  the  Circus  itself.  That  Pavilion,  as 
yet  occupied  only  by  a  few  guards,  I  gazed  at  with  mixed 
feelings. 

Colgius  put  Agathemer  next  him,  then  me;  beyond  me 
sat  Ramnius  and  his  wife  and  then  Uttius  and  his.  But 
across  Posilla  we  were  introduced  to  two  cattle  inspectors 
named  Clitellus  and  Summanus  of  whom  we  felt  uncomfort- 
ably suspicious  from  the  instant  we  laid  eyes  on  them.  They 
looked  to  me  like  secret-service  agents  and  Agathemer  nodded 
towards  them,  when  they  were  not  looking,  raised  his  eye- 
brows and  touched  his  lips. 

I  for  some  time  satiated  myself  with  gazing  at  the  Palace, 
with  admiring  the  wonderful  charm  of  the  outlook  from 
this  side  of  the  Circus,  with  revelling  in  the  sense  of  delight 
at  being  again  in  it,  with  feasting  my  eyes  on  its  gorgeous- 
ness,  on  the  magnificence  of  its  vastness,  of  its  colonnade,  of 
its  costly  marbles,  of  its  tiers  of  seats,  of  the  obelisks,  shrines, 
monuments  and  other  decorations  of  the  spina. 

Then,  after  the  upper  seats  were  well  packed  with  common- 
ality, the  gentry  and  nobility  began  to  dribble  into  the  lower 
tiers  and  even  a  few  senatorial  parties  entered  their  boxes 
in  the  front  row.  I  began  to  peer  at  party  after  party,  out- 
wardly trying  to  keep  my  face  blank,  inwardly  excited  at  the 
probability  of  recognizing  many  former  friends  and  acquain- 
tances. 

The  first  man  I  recognized  was  Faltonius  Bambilio,  un- 
mistakably pompous  and  self-satisfied.  Although  a  senator 
he  came  early.  Later  I  saw  Vedius  Vedianus  and,  far  from 
him,  Satronius  Satro.  Didius  Julianus,  always  the  most 
ostentatious  of  the  senators,  was  unmistakable  even  in  section 
B,  further  from  me  than  any  part  of  the  Circus  except  the 
left  hand  starting  stalls  and  their  neighborhood. 

I  looked  for  Tanno  in  section  D,  and  early  made  him  out. 

But,  even  after  the  equestrian  seats  and  senatorial  boxes 
had  all  filled,  nowhere  could  I  descry  any  feminine  shape  at 
all  suggestive  of  Vedia.  I  was  still  peering  and  sweeping 


CHARIOTEERING  303 

the  senatorial  seats  with  my  eyes,  hoping  to  espy  her,  when 
the  bugles  announced  the  Emperor's  approach  and  the  audi- 
ence stood  up.  My  eyes  were  on  the  Imperial  Dais  watching 
for  the  appearance  of  the  Emperor.  But  when  he  came  into 
sight,  and  I  joined  in  the  cheers,  I  viewed  without  emotion 
this  man,  who  had  honored  me  with  his  favor,  yet  who  had 
credited  to  the  utmost,  without  investigation,  my  inclu- 
sion among  the  number  of  his  dangerous  enemies.  I  re- 
flected that  no  man  accused  of  participating  in  a  conspiracy 
against  any  Prince  of  the  Kepublic  had  ever  been  given  any 
sort  of  bearing  or  his  friends  allowed  to  try  to  clear  him. 

I  used  all  my  powers  of  eyesight  to  con  the  Emperor,  dis- 
tinctive in  his  official  robes  but  too  far  off  to  be  seen  well. 
He  appeared  to  me  to  have  lost  something  of  his  elegance 
of  carriage  and  grace  of  movement.  He  seemed  less  elastic 
in  bearing,  less  springy  of  gait.  There  was,  even  at  that 
distance,  something  familiar  in  his  attitude  and  stride,  but  it 
did  not  seem  precisely  the  presence  of  Commodus  as  I  had 
known  him.  I  stared  puzzled  and  groping  in  my  mind.  But 
I  felt  no  emotion  as  I  stared  and  peered  at  him. 

Oddly  enough,  from  the  moment  when  I  received  Vedia's 
letter  of  warning  until  I  caught  sight  of  the  head  of  the 
procession  about  to  enter  the  Circus  through  the  Procession 
gate,  I  had  had  not  one  instant  of  despondency  or  of  self-pity. 
But,  at  sight  of  the  head  of  that  magnificent  procession,  a 
sort  of  wave  of  misery  surged  through  me  and  inundated  me 
with  a  sudden  sense  of  wistful  regret  for  all  that  I  had  lost 
and  also  with  an  acute  realization  of  the  precarious  hold  I 
had  on  life,  of  the  peril  I  was  in  from  hour  to  hour.  This 
unexpected  and  unwelcome  dejection  possessed  me  until  the 
whole  line  of  floats  displaying  the  images  of  the  gods  had 
passed  and  the  racing  chariots  came  along. 

The  very  first  of  these  drawn  by  a  splendid  team  of  four 
dapple  grays,  was  driven  by  a  charioteer  wearing  the  colors 
of  the  Crimsons'  Company.  I  did  not  need  to  hear  the  ex- 
clamation of  Colgius: 

"There  is  Palus !  That  is  Palus  I"  to  recognize  this  Prince 
of  Charioteers.  The  descriptions  I  had  heard  were  enough 


304  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

to  have  told  me  who  he  was.  For  at  even  a  distant  eight 
of  him  I  did  not  wonder  at  the  tales  which  gave  out  that 
he  was  a  half  brother  of  Commodus,  or  Commodus  in  dis- 
guise. He  was  more  like  Commodus  than  any  half  brother 
would  have  been  likely  to  have  been;  like  as  a  twin  brother, 
like  enough  to  be  actually  Commodus  himself.  He  had  all 
Commodus'  comeliness  of  port  and  refinement  of  poise. 
Every  attitude,  every  movement,  was  a  joy  to  behold.  I 
stared  back  and  forth  from  this  paragon  in  a  charioteer's 
tunic  to  the  stolid  lump  on  the  Imperial  throne,  perplexed 
at  the  enigma,  feeling  just  on  the  verge  of  comprehension, 
but  baffled.  I  kept  gazing  from  one  to  the  other  till  Palus 
rounded  the  further  goal  and  was  largely  hidden  by  the  posts, 
the  stand  for  the  bronze  tally-eggs,  the  obelisk  and  the  other 
ornaments  of  the  spina.* 

There  were  about  two  hundred  chariots,  for  very  few  teams 
were  entered  to  race  twice.  More  than  a  third  were  driven 
by  charioteers,  the  rest  by  grooms,  or  others,  quite  competent 
to  control  them  at  a  walk,  though  some  of  the  more  fiery 
had  also  men  on  foot  holding  their  bits. 

"Felix,"  Agathemer  queried,  "did  you  notice  anything  pe- 
culiar about  the  first  chariot?" 

"Yes,  Asper,"  I  replied,  "I  did.  I  never  saw  a  chariot 
with  its  wheels  so  close  together,  nor  with  such  long  spokes. 
Its  axle  is  higher  from  the  ground  than  any  I  ever  set  eyes 
on." 

"I  recall,"  said  Agathemer,  "hearing  you  recount  a  lecture 
on  chariot-design  you  once  heard  from  a  man  of  lofty  sta- 
tion." 

"The  design  of  that  chariot,"  I  replied,  "certainly  tallies 
with  the  design  advocated  in  that  lecture.  It  would  seem 
to  indicate  that  Palus  has  accepted  the  views  of  that  very 
distinguished  lecturer." 

"Perhaps,"  said  Agathemer  drily.  "Perhaps  it  indicates 
something  more  notable." 

"Perhaps,"  I  admitted. 

Most  of  the  teams  were  white  or  dapple  gray,  those  being 
the  favorite  colors  of  all  the  racing  companies  except  the 

*See  Note  G. 


CHARIOTEERING  305 

Whites  themselves,  among  whom  it  was  a  tradition  that  teams 
of  their  racing-colors  were  unlucky  for  them.  Next  most  fre- 
quent were  bays,  then  sorrels,  while  roans  and  piebalds,  as 
usual,  were  distinctly  scarce.  In  fact  there  were  but  three 
teams  of  roans,  all  with  the  white  colors,  and  two  of  pie- 
balds, one  belonging  to  the  Greens  and  one  to  the  Blues. 
The  Blue  team  caught  my  eye,  even  at  so  great  a  distance. 
When  it  came  opposite  us  I  nudged  Agathemer  and  queried : 

"Asper,  did  you  ever  see  any  of  these  horses  before?" 

"Tea,  Felix,"  he  replied.  "You  are  quite  right  in  your 
judgment;  the  left-hand  yoke-mate  is  the  very  stallion  you 
are  thinking  of,  which  you  and  I  have  seen  and  handled 
before  to-day.  You  and  I  know  where  you  rode  him  and 
how  he  passed  out  of  your  ken." 

It  was,  in  fact,  the  trick  stallion,  I  had  ridden  at  Reate 
fair  and  won  as  a  prize  of  my  riding  him,  which  had  been 
spirited  away  from  my  stables  not  many  nights  after  he 
came  into  my  possession.  At  once  I  foresaw  some  attempt 
at  altogether  unusual  trickery  in  the  course  of  this  racing- 
day.  The  team  of  four  splendid  piebald  stallions,  about  five 
years  old,  was  one  of  the  few  entered  for  two  races.  I 
could  not  conjecture  how  a  horse  which  had  spent  his  youth 
as  trick-horse  in  possession  of  an  itinerant  fakir,  had  ac- 
quired, since  I  knew  him,  reputation  enough  to  be  yoke- 
mate in  a  team  highly  enough  thought  of  to  be  entered  for 
two  races  the  same  day  in  the  Circus  Maximus.  This  was 
a  puzzle  almost  as  absorbing  as  the  likeness  and  contrast 
between  the  Emperor  and  Palus. 

The  racing  had  many  remarkable  features,  but  I  am  con- 
cerned to  relate  only  those  in  which  Palus  took  part. 

At  once  after  the  procession  he  drove  in  the  first  race, 
always  a  perilous  honor.  When  we  saw  the  chariots  dart  out 
of  the  starting-stalls,  the  Crimson  emerged  from  the  stall 
furthest  to  the  left,  just  that  which  is  the  worst  possible 
position  from  which  to  start.  Although  thus  handicapped 
the  Crimson  seemed  a  horse-length  ahead  before  the  other 
chariots  had  cleared  the  sills  of  their  stalls  and  a  full  chariot- 
length  ahead  before  it  reached  the  near  end  of  the  spina 


306  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

wall.  We  saw  Palus  take  the  wall  easily  and  hold  it  through- 
out the  race,  after  the  first  turn  never  less  than  two  full 
chariot-lengths  ahead  of  the  Green,  which  came  second.  The 
Bed  was  third,  which  comforted  Colgius  a  little.  As  Palus 
passed  the  judges'  stand  he  threw  up  an  arm,  with  a  gesture 
so  boyish,  so  debonair,  so  graceful,  so  altogether  characteristic 
of  Commodus,  that  I  felt  a  qualm  all  over  me.  And  a  second 
gesture  of  exultation  as  he  vanished  through  the  Gate  of 
Triumph  was  equally  individual. 

The  Red  won  the  second  race,  which  put  Colgius,  Uttius 
and  Ramnius  in  high  good  humor  and  seemed  to  make  their 
fat,  smiling  wives  even  more  smiling. 

Agathemer  and  I  agreed  that  the  rumors  retailed  by  Col- 
gius concerning  the  wager  said  to  have  been  made  by  Palus 
were  probably  correct;  for  he  did  just  what  that  rumor 
specified  and  so  singular  and  spectacular  a  series  of  feats 
could  hardly  have  been  fortuitous.  It  was  quite  plain  that 
he  pulled  in  his  team  in  the  third  race,  and  let  a  Gold  team 
get  the  lead  of  him  and  keep  it  till  five  eggs  and  five  dolphins 
had  been  taken  down  by  the  tally-keepers'  menials  and  there 
were  but  two  full  laps  to  run.  Then  he  took  the  lead  easily 
in  the  middle  of  the  straight  and  won  by  four  full  lengths. 

So  of  the  other  races  in  which  he  drove.  He  pulled  in 
his  team  at  the  start  and  each  time  allowed  to  get  ahead  of 
him  one  more  team  than  in  his  last  race.  Then  he  joy- 
ously and  without  apparent  effort  passed  first  one,  in  one 
straight,  then  another  in  another,  varying  his  methods  from 
race  to  race,  watching  for  and  seizing  his  opportunities,  bid- 
ing his  time,  dashing  into  top  speed  as  he  chose,  all  smoothly 
and  in  perfect  form. 

The  Blue  team  of  piebalds  with  my  trick-stallion  among 
them  won  the  fourth  race  in  which  Palus  did  not  compete. 

The  eleventh  race,  in  which  Palus  let  the  whole  field  of 
five  precede  him,  was  most  exciting,  especially  because  of  the 
length  of  lead  he  gave  even  to  the  fifth  team,  and  the  im- 
pression of  inevitableness  about  his  victory  afterwards.  The 
thirteenth,  in  which  he  did  not  drive,  was  notable  for  an 
appalling  smash-up  of  five  chariots,  in  which  three  jockeys 


CHARIOTEERING  307 

were  killed  and  eight  horses  killed  outright  or  so  badly  in- 
jured that  the  clearing-crew  had  to  put  them  out  of  their 
agonies. 

The  fourteenth  race  would  have  been  spoiled  by  an  even 
worse  massacre  had  it  not  been  for  the  superlative  skill  of 
Palus  and  his  amazing  luck.  He  had  passed  five  of  the  seven 
chariots  which  had  the  lead  of  him  at  the  start  and  was  a 
close  third  to  the  two  Blue  teams,  with  the  entire  field 
well  up  behind,  three  abreast,  mostly,  bunched  up  in  a  fash- 
ion which  seldom  happens.  The  whole  dozen  had  gathered 
way  after  the  tenth  turn,  as  they  came  up  the  straight  past 
the  judges  and  us  on  the  first  lap,  while  two  eggs  and  two 
dolphins  still  remained  on  the  tally  stands.  Two  thirds  up 
the  straight,  just  when  all  twelve  teams  were  at  their  top 
speed,  the  Blue  chariot  furthest  out  from  the  spina  wall 
swerved  to  the  right  as  if  the  jockey  had  lost  control  of  his 
team.  Palus  lashed  his  four  and  they  increased  their  speed 
•as  if  they  had  been  held  in  before  and  darted  between  the 
two  Blues.  As  the  twelve  horses  were  nose  to  nose  the  outer 
Blue  pulled  sharply  inward  in  a  way  which  appeared  certain 
to  pocket  Palus  and  wreck  his  team  and  chariot,  but  even 
more  certain  to  wreck  the  swerving  Blue.  What  Palus  did 
I  was  too  far  off  to  see,  but  the  roar  of  delight  from  the 
front  rows,  which  spread  north,  south  and  west  till  it  sounded 
like  surf  in  a  tempest,  advertised  that  he  had  done  some- 
thing superlatively  adequate.  Certainly  he  slipped  between 
the  two  Blue  teams  and  won  his  race  handily,  as  he  did 
every  other  in  succession,  though  eight,  nine,  ten  and  eleven 
chariots  led  him  at  the  start  of  each  in  succession. 

"What  do  you  think  of  that,  Asper?"  I  asked  Agathemer. 

"Felix,"  he  replied,  "there  has  never  been  but  one  man  on 
earth  who  could  manage  horses  like  that.  I've  seen  him  do 
it.  Pve  been  smuggled  in  to  watch  him,  like  many  another 
servant  supposed  to  be  waiting  for  his  master  outside.  I 
recognize  the  inimitable  witchery  of  him." 

"No  need  to  name  him,"  I  said.  "But  if  you  are  right, 
who  is  wearing  his  robes  and  occupying  his  usual  seat 
to-day  ?> 


308  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"Don't  ask  me!"  Agathemer  replied.  "But  you  yourself, 
Felix,  who  have  seen  him  drive  so  much  oftener  than  I  have 
must  agree  with  me  about  Palus." 

I  was  mute. 

I  never  saw  a  better  managed  racing-day.  The  first  twelve 
races  of  six  chariots  each  were  over  and  done  with  more  than 
an  hour  before  noon  and  we  had  plenty  of  time  to  eat  the 
abundant  lunch  Posilla  and  her  two  friends  had  put  up  for 
us,  to  drink  all  we  wanted  of  the  wine  served  in  the  tavern 
in  the  vault  to  the  left  of  the  entrance  stair,  underneath 
the  seats  of  our  section,  and  to  return  to  our  seats,  refreshed 
like  the  rest  of  that  fraction  of  the  spectators  which  went 
out  and  came  back,  most  of  them  sitting  tight  in  their  seats, 
unwilling  to  miss  any  of  the  tight-rope-walking,  jugglers' 
tricks,  fancy  riding  and  rest  of  the  diversions  which  filled  up 
the  noon  interval.  Also  the  twelve  afternoon  races  of  twelve 
chariots  each  were  so  promptly  started,  with  so  little  interval 
between,  that  the  last  race  was  run  a  full  two  hours  before 
sunset,  while  the  light  was  still  strong;  stronger,  in  fact, 
than  earlier  in  the  day,  for  a  sort  of  film  of  cloud  had  miti- 
gated the  glare  of  noon,  while  by  the  start  of  the  last  race 
the  sky  was  the  deepest,  clearest  blue  and  the  sun's  radiance 
undimmed  by  any  hindrance. 

That  last  race!  Palus  passed  nine  competitors  in  ten 
half  laps,  and,  in  the  first  half  of  the  sixth  lap,  was  again 
third  to  two  Blue  teams  one  of  which  was  the  piebald  team 
with  the  Eeate  trick-stallion  as  left-hand  yoke-mate.  Again, 
as  in  the  fourteenth  race,  the  field  was  close  up,  widespread, 
bunched,  and  thundering  at  top  speed.  Palus  was  driving 
the  dapple  grays  with  which  he  had  won  the  first  race. 

Now,  what  happened,  happened  much  quicker  than  it  can 
be  told,  happened  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  The  inner 
leading  Blue  team  apparently  hugged  the  spina  wall  too  close 
and  jammed  its  left-hand  hub-end  against  the  marble,  stop- 
ping the  chariot,  so  that  the  axle  and  pole  slewed  and  so  that 
the  horses,  since  the  pole  and  the  traces  did  not  snap,  were 
brought  nose  on  against  the  wall  and  piled  up  horridly,  just 
at  the  goal-line,  opposite  the  judges  stand,  and  falling  so 


CHARIOTEERING  309 

that  as  they  fell  they  straightened  out  the  pole  and  brought 
the  chariot  to  a  standstill  with  its  axle  neatly  across  the 
course. 

The  other  Blue,  with  the  piebalds,  was  not  close  in  to 
the  leaders,  but  fairly  well  out  and  about  a  length  behind. 
As  the  wall-team  piled  up  something  happened  among  the 
free-running  piebalds.  Of  course,  I  conjecture  that  the 
trick-stallion  threw  himself  sideways  at  a  signal.  But  it 
seems  incredible  that  a  creature  as  timid  as  a  horse,  so  com- 
pellingly  controlled  by  the  instinct  to  keep  on  its  feet,  should, 
in  the  frenzy  of  the  crisis  of  a  race,  while  in  the  mad  rush 
of  a  full-speed  gallop,  obey  a  signal  so  out  of  variance  with 
his  natural  impulse.  Agathemer  vows  he  saw  the  trick- 
stallion  throw  himself  against  the  chief  horse  while  he  and 
the  other  two  were  running  strong  and  true.  I  did  not  see 
that;  I  only  saw  the  four  piebalds  go  down  in  a  heap  in 
front  of  their  chariot,  saw  the  chariot  stop  dead,  saw,  even 
at  that  distance,  that  its  axle  was  perfectly  in  line  with 
the  axle  of  the  other  wrecked  chariot,  both  chariots  right 
side  up  and  too  close  together  for  any  chariot  to  pass  between 
them. 

Palus,  skimming  the  sand  not  three  horse  lengths  behind 
the  piebalds,  was  trapped  and  certain  to  be  piled  up  against 
the  wrecked  Blues,  under  three  or  four  more  of  the  field 
thundering  behind  him. 

Actually,  at  that  distance,  I  saw  his  pose,  the  very  outline 
of  his  neck  and  shoulders,  express  not  alarm  but  exultation. 
Although  his  right  ear  and  part  of  the  back  of  his  head 
was  towards  me,  I  could  almost  see  him  yell.  I  could 
descry  how  the  lash  of  his  whip  flew  over  his  team,  how 
craftily  he  managed  his  reins. 

Eight  at  the  narrow  gap  he  drove.  In  it  his  horses  did 
not  jam  or  fall  or  stumble  or  jostle.  The  yoke-mates  held 
on  like  skimming  swallows,  the  trace-mates  seemed  to  rise 
into  the  air.  I  seemed  to  see  the  two  wheels  of  his  chariot 
interlock  with  the  two  wheels  of  the  upright,  stationary 
wrecked  chariots,  his  left-hand  wheel  between  the  chariot- 
body  and  right-hand  wheel  of  the  chariot  on  his  left,  his  right* 


310  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

hand  wheel  between  the  chariot-body  and  left-hand  wheel  of 
the  chariot  on  his  right. 

Certainly  I  saw  his  chariot,  with  him  erect  in  it,  rise 
in  the  air,  saw  it  bump  on  the  ground  beyond  the  two  sta- 
tionary chariots,  saw  it  leap  up  again  from  its  wheels'  impact 
upon  the  sand,  all  four  of  his  dapple  grays  on  their  feet 
and  running  smoothly,  saw  him  speed  on  and  round  the 
upper  goal-posts. 

As  Palus  came  round  the  next  lap,  well  ahead  of  the 
diminished  field,  he  craftily  avoided  the  heap  of  wreckage. 
As  he  won  he  dropped  his  reins  altogether,  threw  up  both 
arms,  and  yelled  like  a  lad.  As  he  vanished  through  the 
Triumphal  Gateway,  he  again  dropped  his  reins,  left  his 
team  to  guide  themselves,  and  turned  half  round  to  wave 
an  exultant  farewell  to  the  spectators. 

"What  do  you  think,  Asper?"  I  asked  Agathemer. 

"Felix,"  said  he,  "I  wouldn't  bet  a  copper  that  the  occu- 
pant of  the  throne  is  not  Commodus.  But  I'll  wager  my 
amulet-bag  and  all  it  contains  that  Palus  is  not  Ducconius 
Furfur." 

He  said  it  under  his  breath,  that  I  alone  might  hear. 

"My  idea,  precisely,  Asper,"  I  replied. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

MISADVENTURES 

AS  we  left  the  Circus  I  heard  in  the  crowd  near  us, 
along  with  fierce  denunciations  of  the  Crimsons  and 
Golds,  execrated  by  all  the  commonality  as  merely  rich  men's 
companies,  the  most  enthusiastic  laudations  of  Palus  and 
expressions  of  hopes  that  the  Blues,  Greens,  Eeds  or  Whites, 
according  to  the  preference  of  the  speaker,  might  yet  win  him 
over  and  benefit  by  his  prowess. 

Colgius,  although  the  Reds  had  won  but  five  races,  was  in 
a  high  good  humor  and  insisted  on  the  whole  party  coming 


MISADVENTURES  811 

in  to  a  family  dinner.  The  three  wives  occupied  the  middle 
sofa,  while  Agathemer  and  I  had  the  upper  all  to  ourselves. 
The  fare  was  abundant  and  good,  with  plenty  of  the  cheaper 
relishes  to  begin  with;  roast  sucking-pig,  cold  sliced  roast 
pork,  baked  ham,  and  veal  stew  for  the  principal  dishes, 
with  cabbage,  beans  and  lentils;  the  wine  was  passable,  and 
there  was  plenty  of  olives,  figs,  apples,  honey  and  quince 
marmalade. 

The  women  talked  among  themselves  and  the  men,  with 
us  putting  in  a  word  now  and  then,  of  Palus.  They  argued 
a  long  time  as  to  just  what  he  did  in  the  fourteenth  race 
and  how  he  had  saved  himself  at  the  critical  moment.  As 
to  his  victory  in  the  last  race,  all  three  of  them  were  loud 
in  their  praises.  Colgius  said: 

"Nothing  like  that  has  ever  happened  before.  The  char- 
iot which  Palus  drove  had  the  shortest  axle  I  ever  saw  or 
anybody  else.  No  other  chariot  but  that  could  have  passed 
between  the  two  wrecked  chariots;  any  other  would  have 
crashed  its  two  wheels  against  the  wrecked  chariot-bodies 
and  would  have  smashed  to  bits.  His  chariot  was  so  narrow 
that  its  wheels  passed  between  the  two  chariot-bodies,  clear. 

"Even  so  any  other  chariot  would  have  stopped  dead  when 
its  wheels  hit  the  axles  of  the  stalled  chariots,  for  it  was 
plain  that  his  wheels  interlocked  with  the  wheels  of  the 
stalled  chariots  and  hit  the  axles.  But  his  chariot  had  the 
longest  spokes  ever  seen  in  Rome,  or,  I  believe,  anywhere 
else,  and  so  had  the  tallest  wheels  ever  seen  and  had  its  axle 
higher  above  the  sand  than  any  other  chariot;  so  its  wheels 
engaged  the  stalled  axles  well  below  their  hub-level  and  so 
the  team  pulled  them  right  over  the  axles  and  on." 

"Yes,"  said  Uttius,  "but  that  never  would  have  happened 
but  for  Palus'  instantaneous  grasp  of  the  situation  and  light- 
ning decision.  Any  other  charioteer  would  have  reined  in 
or  tried  to  swing  round  to  the  right ;  he  lashed  his  team  and 
guided  them  so  perfectly  that,  with  not  a  hand's-breadth  to 
spare  anywhere,  the  two  wheels  passed  precisely  where  there 
was  the  only  chance  of  their  passing,  and  he  guided  his  horses 
go  perfectly  that  the  yoke-mates  shot  between  the  stalled 


312  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

wheels  without  jostling  them  or  each  other.     No  man 
ever  displayed  such  skill  as  Palus." 

"Nor  had  such  luck,"  Ramnius  cut  in.  "No  man  could 
have  guided  the  yoke-mates  as  he  did  and,  at  the  same  time, 
exerted  any  influence  whatever  on  the  trace-mates.  They 
showed  their  breed.  Each  saw  the  stalled  wheel  in  front  of 
him,  neither  tried  to  dodge.  Each  went  straight  at  that 
wheel,  reared  at  it,  and  leapt  it  clean.  As  they  leapt  they 
were  not  helping  to  pull  the  chariot,  the  yoke-mates  pulled  it 
over  the  stalled  axles.  But  the  momentary  check  as  the 
chariot  hit  the  axles  and  leapt  up  gave  the  leaping  trace- 
mates  just  the  instant  of  time  they  needed  to  find  their  feet 
and  regain  their  stride.  The  whole  thing  was  a  miracle;  of 
training,  of  skill  and  of  luck." 

"But  don't  forget,"  said  Colgius,  "that  the  skill  and  judg- 
ment Palus  displayed  counted  for  more  than  the  breed  of  his 
team  and  his  luck.  Do  not  forget  the  perfect  form  he 
showed :  not  an  awkward  pose,  not  a  sign  of  effort,  not  a  hint 
of  anxiety;  self-possession,  courage,  self-confidence  all 
through  and  the  most  perfect  grace  of  movement,  ease,  and 
suggestion  of  reserve  strength.  He  is  a  prodigy." 

After  Agathemer  and  I  were  alone  in  the  dark  on  our 
cots  we  whispered  to  each  other  a  long  time. 

"Do  you  really  believe,"  I  said,  "that  Commodus  is  so  in- 
sane about  horse-racing  as  to  be  willing  to  put  Furfur  on 
his  throne  in  his  robes  so  that  he  can  degrade  himself  under 
the  name  of  Palus  ?" 

"I  do,"  said  Agathemer.  "No  other  conjecture  fits  what 
we  saw.  The  man  on  the  throne  was  certainly  the  image 
of  Commodus,  but  had  not  his  elegance  of  port  and  grace 
of  movement.  Palus  has  all  the  inimitable  gracefulness 
which  Commodus  displayed  when  driving  teams  in  the  Palace 
Stadium." 

"He  is  incredibly  stupid  in  undervaluing  and  failing  to 
prize  his  privileges  as  Emperor,"  I  said,  "and  amazingly 
reckless  in  allowing  anyone  else  to  occupy  his  throne,  wearing 
his  robes." 

"He  is  yet  more  reckless  to  race  as  he  does,"  Agathema* 


MISADVENTURES  315 

commented,  "and  I  should  not  be  astonished  if  we  have 
seen  his  last  public  appearance  as  a  charioteer/' 

"Why?"  I  queried  startled. 

"Because/5  said  Agathemer,  "he  must  be  incredibly  stupid 
not  to  perceive,  now,  what  opportunities  the  Circus  offers 
for  getting  rid  of  an  Emperor  posing  as  a  charioteer. 

"A  stupider  man  than  Commodus  can  possibly  be  should 
be  able  to  comprehend  that  there  must  have  been  a  very 
carefully  planned  plot  in  the  Blue  Company,  a  plot  which 
must  have  cost  a  mountain  of  gold  to  carry  so  far  towards 
success,  a  plot  which  never  would  have  been  laid  for  a  mere 
jockey,  however  much  his  rivalry  threatened  the  Company's 
winnings  and  prestige.  Only  a  coterie  of  very  wealthy  men 
could  have  devised  and  pushed  it.  It  cost  money  to  induce 
charioteers  to  come  so  close  to  almost  certain  death  in  order  to 
compass  the  destruction  of  another  charioteer.  It  cost  money 
to  sacrifice  a  company's  teams  in  that  fashion.  Such  a  plot 
was  never  laid  to  get  rid  of  Palus  the  jockey;  it  was  aimed 
at  ridding  the  nobility  of  an  Emperor  they  fear  and  hate, 
however  popular  he  may  be  with  the  commonality. 

"I  miss  my  guess  if  there  is  not  a  violent  upheaval  in  the 
Blue  Company,  and  if  there  is  not  an  investigation  scrutiniz- 
ing the  behavior  and  loyalty  of  every  man  affiliated  with 
them,  from  their  board  of  managers  down  to  the  stall- 
cleaners.  I  prophesy  that  the  informers,  spies  and  secret- 
service  men  will  have  fat  pickings  off  the  Blues  for  many 
a  day  to  come.  I'll  bet  the  guilty  men  are  putting  their 
affairs  in  order  now  and  hunting  safe  hiding-places.  Corn- 
modus  may  be  insane  about  horse-racing  and  fool  enough 
to  put  a  dummy  Emperor  in  his  place,  so  he  can  be  free  to 
«njoy  jockeying,  but  he  is  no  fool  when  it  comes  to  attempts 
at  assassination.  He'll  run  down  the  guilty  or  exterminate 
them  among  a  shoal  of  innocents." 

I  agreed. 

But  I  added: 

"What  is  the  world  coming  to  when  the  Prince  of  the 
Republic  prizes  his  privileges  so  little  that  he  neglects  state 
business  for  horse- jockeying,  when  he  is  so  crazy  over  char- 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

ioteering  that  he  lets  another  man  wear  his  robes  and  occupy 
his  throne?  It  is  a  mad  world." 

Next  morning  we  were  early  on  Orontides'  ship  and  once 
more  Agathemer  charmed  a  crew  with  his  flageolet. 

At  Ostia  Orontides  found  he  must  lay  over  for  some  valu- 
able packages  consigned  to  a  jeweler  at  Antioch  for  the  con- 
veyance of  which  he  was  highly  paid.  He  suggested  that,  as 
the  day  was  hot  for  so  late  in  the  year,  we  go  ashore  and 
see  the  sights  which,  indeed,  we  found  well  worth  seeing, 
for  Ostia  has  some  buildings  outmatching  anything  to  be 
found  outside  of  Eome.  We  took  his  hint,  but  he  warned  us : 

"I  have  some  sailors  I  don't  trust.  Don't  leave  anything 
aboard.  Take  your  wallets  with  you." 

We  passed  a  pleasant,  idle  day,  lunching  and  taking  our 
siesta  at  an  inn  outside  the  Eome  Gate.  We  had  planned 
to  dine  at  an  inn  near  the  harbor-front,  on  the  west  side 
of  the  town,  not  far  from  the  Sea  Gate:  there  we  had 
barely  sat  down  and  begun  tasting  the  relishes,  when  in  came 
Clitellus  and  Summanus.  They  seemed  surprised  and  pleased 
to  recognize  us,  greeted  us  as  if  we  had  been  old  friends 
and  close  intimates,  appeared  to  assume  that  we  were  as 
glad  to  see  them  as  they  were  to  see  us,  and,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  joined  us  at  dinner,  telling  the  waiter-boy  to  bring 
them  whatever  we  had  ordered,  only  doubling  the  quantity 
of  every  order. 

They  talked  of  the  races  we  had  seen,  of  Palus,  of  his 
driving;  of  the  smash-ups,  of  Posilla,  of  Colgius  and  of 
everything  and  anything.  They  announced  that  they  would 
accompany  us  to  our  ship  and  see  us  safe  aboard.  Both 
Agathemer  and  I  more  than  suspected  that  they  had  asso- 
ciates in  waiting  to  follow  them  and,  at  a  signal,  fall  on  us 
and  seize  us.  I  felt  all  that  and  Agathemer  whispered  to  me 
a  word  or  two  in  Greek  which  advised  me  of  his  suspicions. 

We  prolonged  our  meal  all  we  could,  but  there  was  n<7 
shaking  them  off.  Agathemer  ordered  more  wine,  Falernian, 
and  had  it  mixed  with  only  one  measure  of  water.  Watching 
his  opportunity  he  threw  at  me,  in  a  whisper,  two  Greek 
words  which  advised  me,  since  they  were  the  first  in  a  well 


MISADVENTURES  315 

known  quotation  from  Menander,  that  our  only  hope  was  to 
drink  our  tormentors  dead  drunk. 

It  turned  out  to  be  a  question  whether  we  would  drink 
them  drunk  or  they  us.  Certainly  they  showed  no  hesita- 
tion about  pouring  down  the  wine  as  fast  as  it  was  mixed 
and  served,  nor  did  either  of  them  appear  to  notice  that  we 
drank  less  than  they;  they  seemed  able  to  hold  any  amount 
find  stay  sober  and  keep  on  drinking.  As  dusk  deepened 
and  the  waiter-boys  lit  the  inn  lamps,  I  found  myself  peri- 
lously near  sliding  off  my  chair  to  the  floor  and  very  doubt- 
ful whether,  if  I  did,  I  should  be  able  to  get  up  again  or  to 
resist  my  tendency  to  go  to  sleep  then  and  there. 

I  was,  in  fact,  just  about  to  give  up  any  attempt  to  resist 
my  impulse  to  collapse  when  Summanus  collapsed,  slid  to 
the  floor,  rolled  over,  spread  out  and  snored. 

Clitellus  thickly  objurgated  his  comrade  and  all  weak- 
heads,  worthless  fellows  who  could  not  drink  a  few  goblets 
without  getting  drunk.  To  prove  his  vast  superiority  and 
his  prowess,  he  poured  more  wine  down  his  throat,  spilling 
some  down  into  his  tunic. 

Agathemer  winked  at  me  and  fingered  the  strap  of  his 
wallet.  I  groped  for  mine  and  fumbled  at  it. 

Clitellus,  with  a  hiccough,  slid  to  the  floor  beside  Sum- 
manus. 

I  was  for  trying  to  rise. 

"Let  us  be  sure,"  said  Agathemer  in  Greek,  "perhaps  they 
are  pretending  to  be  drunk,  just  to  catch  us." 

But,  after  a  brief  contemplation  of  the  precious  pair, 
we  concluded  that  no  acting  could  be  as  perfect  as  this 
reality.  They  were  drunk  at  last  and  safely  asleep. 

Agathemer  paid  the  whole  amount  for  all  four  of  us,  ad- 
jured the  waiter-boy  to  be  good  to  Clitellus  and  Summanus, 
gave  him  an  extra  coin,  and  signalled  me  to  rise.  I  lurched 
to  my  feet,  swaying,  almost  as  drunk  as  our  victims  and  be- 
holding Agathemer  swaying  before  me,  not  only  because  of 
my  blurred  eyesight,  but  also  because  of  his  unsteadiness  on 
his  feet. 

We  almost  fell,  but  not  quite.     Somehow  we  staggered  to 


816  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  door,  where,  once  outside,  the  cool  night  air  made  us 
feel  almost  sobered,  though  still  too  nearly  drunk  to  be  sure 
of  our  location  or  direction. 

More  by  luck  than  anything  else  we  took  the  right  turn 
and  found  the  harbor  front  before  the  night  was  entirely 
black.  In  the  half  gloom  we  tried  to  find  the  pier  from 
which  we  had  come  that  morning.  As  we  explored  we  heard 
a  cheerful  hail. 

"Is  that  you,  Orontides?" 

Agathemer  called. 

"Aye,  Aye!"  came  back  the  cheery  answer.  "Come 
aboard!" 

And  we  were  met  and  assisted  up  the  gang-plank  and  down 
over  the  bulwarks. 

"I  was  afraid  you  boys  were  lost,"  the  shipmaster  said, 
"and  I  am  to  sail  at  dawn,  after  all;  everything  is  aboard. 
I'm  glad  to  see  you.  You've  dined  pretty  liberally.  Come 
over  here  and  get  to  sleep." 

And  he  led  us  to  where  we  found  something  soft  to  sleep 
on. 

I  was  asleep  almost  as  soon  as  I  lay  down. 

I  awoke  with  a  terrific  headache  and  an  annoying  buzzing 
in  my  ears,  awoke  only  partially,  not  knowing  where  I  was 
or  why  and  without  any  distinct  recollections  of  recent 
events.  My  first  sensation  was  discomfort,  not  only  from  the 
pain  of  my  headache,  but  also  from  the  heat  of  the  sunrays 
beating  on  me,  and  that  despite  the  fact  that  I  could  feel 
a  strong  cool  breeze  ruffling  my  hair  and  beard. 

I  sat  up  and  looked  about  me.  Agathemer  was  snoring. 
The  sun  was  not  low;  in  fact,  at  that  time  of  the  year,  it 
was  near  its  highest.  I  had  slept  till  noon! 

Then,  all  of  a  sudden  I  realized  that  the  ship  was  wholly 
strange  to  me  and  that  it  was  headed  not  southeast,  but 
northwest.  That  realization  shocked  me  broad  awake.  At 
the  same  instant  I  saw  the  shipmaster  approaching.  He 
was  not  Orontides,  nor  was  he  at  all  like  him.  He  had 
small  feet,  was  knock-kneed,  tall,  lean,  had  a  hatchet-face 
and  red  hair. 


MISADVENTURES  31T 

"Awake  at  last!"  he  commented.  "You  lads  must  have 
dined  gloriously  last  night.  You  don't  look  half  yourselves, 
yet." 

He  stared  at  me,  and  at  Agathemer,  who  had  waked,  into 
much  the  same  sort  of  daze  in  which  I  had  been  at  first. 

"Neptune's  trident !"  the  shipmaster  exclaimed.  "You  two 
aren't  the  two  lads  I  was  to  convoy!  Who  are  you  and 
how  did  you  get  here?" 

"We  were  hunting  for  our  ship  after  dark,"  Agathemer 
said,  "and  somebody  hailed  us.  We  asked  whether  it  was 
Orontides  and  the  answer  that  came  back  was :  'Aye,  Aye !' 
We  were  pretty  thoroughly  drunk  and  were  glad  to  be  helped 
aboard  and  shown  our  beds.  Thaf  s  all  I  know." 

"Kingdom  of  Pluto!"  the  shipmaster  cried,  "my  name's 
Gerontides,  not  Orontides.  I  heard  your  question,  but  you 
were  so  drunk  I  never  knew  the  difference:  probably  I 
shouldn't  have  known  the  difference  if  you  had  been  sober. 
I  was  on  the  lookout  for  two  lads  much  like  you  two  who  had 
part  paid  me  to  carry  them  to  Genoa.  They'll  be  in  a  fix." 

"'Bout  ship,"  said  Agathemer,  "and  put  back  to  Ostia. 
You  can't  be  far  on  your  way  yet.  We'll  pay  you  what  you 
ask  to  set  us  ashore  at  Ostia." 

"I  wouldn't  'bout  ship,"  said  Gerontides,  "for  twenty  gold 
pieces." 

"We'll  pay  you  thirty,"  said  Agathemer. 

"Don't  bid  any  higher,  son,"  Gerontides  laughed.  "If  you 
were  made  of  gold,  to  Genoa  you  go.  I've  a  bigger  stake  in  a 
quick  landing  at  Genoa  than  any  sum  you  could  name  would 
overbalance.  Best  be  content !" 

And  content  we  had  to  be,  no  arguments,  no  entreaties, 
nothing  would  move  him. 

"I'll  be  fair  with  you,"  he  said.  "The  lads  I  took  you 
for  had  paid  me  all  I  had  asked  them  except  one  gold  piece 
each  on  landing  at  Genoa.  That's  all  you'll  have  to  pay  me." 

Nothing  would  budge  him  from  his  resolution.  Agathemer 
in  despair  drowned  his  misery  in  flageolet  playing.  It 
seemed  to  comfort  him  and  certainly  comforted  me.  The 
crew  were  delighted.  After  a  voyage  as  easy  and  pleasant 


318  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

as  our  cruise  with  Maganno,  we  landed  on  the  eighth  day 
before  the  Ides  of  September,  at  Genoa,  paid  our  two  gold 
pieces  and  set  about  getting  out  of  that  city  as  quickly  as 
might  be.  We  avoided,  of  course,  the  posting-station  where 
we  had  changed  horses  while  in  couriers'  trappings.  But 
there  was  a  posting-station  at  each  gate  of  Genoa  and  we, 
having  talked  over  all  possibilities  in  the  intervals  of  flageo- 
let playing,  were  for  Dertona.  We  had  little  trouble  in  buy- 
ing a  used  travelling-carriage.  Horses  we  did  not  have  to 
wait  long  for,  as  hiring  teams  were  luckily  plentiful  that 
day  and  Imperial  agents  scarce.  Off  we  set  for  Milan. 

We  were  in  haste  but  there  was  no  hurrying  postillions 
on  those  mountain  roads.  We  nooned  at  some  nameless 
change-house  and  were  glad  to  make  the  thirty-six  miles  to 
Libarium  by  dusk.  The  next  day  was  consumed  in  cover- 
ing the  thirty-five  miles  to  Dertona.  From  there  on  we 
travelled,  in  general  down  hill,  and  so  quicker,  but  not  much 
quicker,  so  that  a  third  day  entire  was  needed  for  making 
the  fifty-one  miles  to  Placentia. 

Placentia,  a  second  time,  was  unlucky  for  us.  It  might 
have  been  worse,  for  we  did  not  again  encounter  Gratillus, 
or  anyone  else  who  might  have  recognized  me.  But  I  made 
a  fool  of  myself.  I  am  not  going  to  tell  what  happened; 
Agathemer  never  reproached  me  for  my  folly,  not  even  in 
our  bitterest  misery ;  but  I  reproached  myself  daily  for  nearly 
three  years;  I  am  still  ashamed  of  myself  and  I  do  not  want 
to  set  down  my  idiotic  behavior. 

Let  it  suffice,  that,  through  no  fault  of  Agathemer's,  but 
wholly  through  my  fault,  we  were  suspected,  interrogated, 
arrested,  stripped,  our  brand-marks  and  scourge-scars  ob- 
served and  ourselves  haled  before  a  magistrate.  To  him 
Agathemer  told  the  same  tale  he  had  told  to  Tarrutenus 
Spinellus.  It  might  have  served  had  we  been  dealing  with 
a  man  of  like  temper,  for  travellers  from  Ancona  for 
Aquileia  regularly  passed  through  Placentia  turning  there 
from  northwest  along  the  road  from  Ancona  to  northeast 
along  the  road  to  Aquileia. 

But  Stabilius  Norbanus  was  a  very  different  kind  of  man. 


MISADVENTURES  819 

"Your  story  may  be  true/'  lie  said,  "but  it  impresses  me 
as  an  ingenious  lie.  If  I  believed  it  I'd  not  send  men  like 
you,  with  their  records  written  in  welts  on  their  backs,  with, 
any  convoy,  no  matter  how  strict,  on  the  long  journey  to 
Aquileia,  on  which  you'd  have  countless  opportunities  of 
escape.  I  do  not  believe  your  tale.  Yet  FU  pay  this  muck 
Attention  to  it :  I'll  write  to  Vedius  Aquileiensis  and  ask  him 
/f  he  owned  two  slaves  answering  your  descriptions  and  lost 
them  through  unexplained  disappearance  or  known  crimping: 
by  Dalmatian  pirates  at  about  the  time  you  indicate. 

"Meantime  I'll  commit  you  to  an  ergastulum*  where  you'll 
be  herded  with  your  kind,  all  safely  chained,  so  that  no 
escape  is  possible,  and  all  doing  some  good  to  the  state  by 
Borne  sort  of  productive  labor.  A  winter  at  the  flour-mills 
will  do  you  two  good." 

Our  winter  at  the  mills  may  have  benefited  us,  but  it 
was  certainly,  with  its  successor  at  similar  mills,  one  of  the 
,two  most  wretched  winters  of  my  life.  And  Agathemer,  I 
think,  suffered  every  bit  as  acutely  as  I.  We  were  not 
chained,  except  for  a  few  days  and  about  twice  as  many  more 
nights;  as  soon  as  the  manager  of  the  ergastulum  felt  that 
he  knew  us  he  let  us  go  unchained  like  the  rest  of  hi& 
charges. 

This  was  because  of  the  structure  of  the  ergastulum.  It 
was  located  in  the  cellars  of  one  of  the  six  or  more  granaries 
of  Placentia,  which  has,  near  each  city  gate,  an  extensive 
public  store-house.  The  granary  under  which  we  were  im- 
mured was  that  near  the  Cremona  gate.  Above  ground  it 
was  a  series  of  rectangles  about  courtyards  each  just  big 
enough  to  accommodate  four  carts,  all  unloading  or  loading 
at  once.  It  was  everywhere  of  four  stories  of  bin-rooms, 
all  built  of  coarse  hard-faced  rubble  concrete.  The  cellars 
were  very  extensive,  and  not  all  on  one  level,  being  cun- 
ningly planned  to  be  everywhere  about  the  same  depth  under- 
ground. Where  their  floor-levels  altered  the  two  were  joined 
by  short  flights  of  three,  four  or  five  stone  steps,  under  a 
vaulted  doorway,  in  the  thick  partition  walls. 

'See  Note  H, 


320  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Each  cellar-floor  was  about  four  yards  below  the  ground 
level  so  that  a  tall  man,  standing  on  a  tall  man's  shoulders, 
could  barely  reach  with  his  outstretched  fingers  the  tip  of 
the  sill  of  one  of  the  low  windows.  These  windows,  each 
about  a  yard  high  and  two  yards  broad,  were  heavily  barred 
with  gratings  of  round  iron  bars  as  thick  as  a  man's  wrist, 
set  too  close  together  for  a  boy's  head  to  pass  between  them, 
and  each  two  bars  hot-welded  at  each  intersection,  so  that 
each  grating  was  practically  one  piece  of  wrought  iron,  made 
before  the  granary  was  built  and  with  the  ends  of  each  bar 
set  deep  in  the  flinty  old  rubble  concrete.  The  inmates  need 
not  be  chained,  as  no  escape  was  possible  through  the  win- 
dows, though  raw  night  air,  rain,  snow  at  times  and  the  icy 
winter  blasts  came  in  on  us  through  them. 

Similarly  no  escape  was  possible  up  the  one  entrance  to 
the  cellars,  which  was  through  an  inner  courtyard,  from 
which  led  down  a  stone  stair  with  four  sets  of  heavy  doors; 
one  at  the  bottom,  one  at  each  end  of  a  landing  lighted  by 
a  heavily  barred  window,  and  one  at  the  top.  Between  the 
inner  and  outer  courtyard  were  two  sets  of  heavier  doors  and 
two  equally  heavy  were  at  the  street  entrance  of  the  outer 
courtyard.  On  the  stair-landing  was  the  chained-up  porter- 
accountant  seated  under  the  window  on  a  backless  stool  by  a 
small,  heavy  accountant's  table  on  which  stood  a  tall  clep- 
sydra by  his  big  account-book.  Checking  the  hours  by  the 
clepsydra,  he  entered  the  name  of  every  human  being  passing, 
up  or  down  that  stair,  even  the  name  of  the  manager  every 
time  he  came  in  or  went  out.  By  him  always  stood  a  wild 
Scythian,  armed  with  a  spear,  girt  with  a  sabre,  and  with 
a  short  bow  and  a  quiver  of  short  arrows  hanging  over  his 
back.  Similar  Scythians  guarded  the  doorways,  a  pair  of 
them  to  each  door.  The  slide  by  which  the  grain  was  lowered 
into  the  ergastulum,  the  other  slide  by  which  the  flour,  coarse 
siftings  and  bran  were  hauled  up,  were  similarly  guarded. 
Escape  was  made  so  difficult  by  these  precautions  that,  while 
I  was  there,  no  one  escaped  out  of  the  three  hundred  wretches 
confined  in  the  ergastulum. 

There  we  suffered  sleepless  nights  in  our  hard  bunks, 


MISADVENTURES 

under  worn  and  tattered  quilts,  tormented  by  every  sort  of 
vermin.  Swarming  with  vermin  we  toiled  through  the  days, 
from  the  first  hint  of  light  to  its  last  glimmer,  shivering  in 
our  ragged  tunics,  our  bare  feet  numb  on  the  chilly  pave- 
ments. We  were  cold,  hungry,  underfed  on  horribly  revolt- 
ing food,  reviled,  abused,  beaten  and  always  smarting  from 
old  welts  or  new  weals  of  the  whip-lashes. 

It  was  all  a  nightmare:  the  toil,  the  lashings,  if  our  mo- 
notonous walk  around  our  mill,  eight  men  to  a  mill,  two  to 
each  bar,  did  not  suit  the  notions  of  the  room-overseer; 
the  dampness,  the  cold,  the  vermin,  the  pain  of  our  unhealed 
bruises,  the  scanty  food  and  its  disgusting  uneatableness. 

The  food  seemed  the  worst  feature  of  our  misery.  So,  in 
fact,  it  appears  to  have  seemed  to  our  despicable  compan- 
ions. Certainly,  of  the  food  they  complained  more  than  of 
the  toil,  the  cold,  the  vermin,  the  malignity  of  the  overseers 
or  even  of  the  barbarity  of  the  Scythian  guards.  Anyhow 
their  fury  at  the  quality  of  their  food  brought  to  me  and 
Agathemer  an  alleviation  of  our  misery.  For  some  hot- 
headed wretches,  goaded  beyond  endurance,  jerked  the  bars 
of  their  mill  from  their  sockets  and  with  them  felled,  beat 
to  death  and  even  brained  the  cook  and  his  t\ro  assistants. 

After  their  corpses  had  been  removed,  the  floor  swabbed 
up  and  the  murderers  turned  over  to  the  gloating  Scythians 
to  be  done  to  death  by  impalement,  Scythian  fashion,  with 
all  the  tortures  Scythian  ferocity  could  devise,  the  manager 
went  from  cellar  to  cellar,  all  through  the  ergastulum,  enquir- 
ing if  any  prisoner  could  cook.  No  one  volunteered,  and, 
when  he  questioned  more  than  a  few,  everyone  denied  any 
knowledge  of  cookery. 

A  second  time  he  made  the  tour  of  his  domain,  promising- 
any  cook  a  warm  tunic,  a  bunk  with  a  thick  mattress  and 
two  heavy  quilts,  all  the  food  he  could  eat  and  two  helpers; 
the  helpers  to  have  similar  indulgences.  On  this  second 
round,  in  our  cellar,  a  Lydian,  nearer  to  being  fat  than  any 
prisoner  in  the  ergastulum,  admitted  that  he  could  make  and 
bake  bread,  but  vowed  that  he  could  not  do  anything  else 
connected  with  cooking.  Spurred  on  by  his  confession 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

tempted  by  the  offers  of  better  clothing  and  bedding  and 
more  food,  also  by  the  memories  of  Agathemer's  cookery  the 
winter  before,  I  blurted  out  that  Agathemer  could  not  make 
bread,  but  could  do  everything  else  needed  in  cookery. 
Agathemer,  after  one  reproachful  glance  at  me,  admitted 
that  he  was  a  cook  of  a  sort,  but  declared  that  he  was  almost 
as  bad  a  cook  as  the  wretch  just  murdered.  The  overseer 
bade  him  go  to  the  kitchen  and  told  him  he  might  select  a 
helper;  the  baker  would  have  been  the  other  helper.  As 
helper  Agathemer,  naturally,  selected  me. 

After  that  we  suffered  less.  The  slaves  acclaimed  Agathe- 
mer's  cooking;  for,  if  their  rations  were  still  scanty  by 
order  of  the  watchful  manager,  at  least  their  food  was  edible. 
Far  from  being  ultimately  killed,  like  our  predecessors,  and 
continually  threatened  and  reviled,  we  were  blessed  by  our 
fellow-slaves.  We  slept  better,  in  spite  of  the  vermin,  on 
our  grass-stuffed  mattresses,  under  our  foul  quilts,  we  shiv- 
ered less  in  our  thicker  tunics.  We  were  not  too  tired  to 
discuss,  at  times,  the  oddities  of  our  vicissitudes,  to  con- 
gratulate each  other  on  being,  at  least,  alive,  on  my  not 
being  suspected  of  being  what  I  actually  was,  and,  above  all, 
on  the  safety  of  our  old,  blackened,  greasy,  worthless-looking, 
amulet-bags,  with  their  precious  contents.  To  be  reduced 
to  carrying  food  to  three  hundred  of  the  vilest  rascals  alive 
was  a  horrible  fate  for  a  man  who  had,  two  years  before,  been 
a  wealthy  nobleman,  but  it  was  far  better  than  death  as  a 
suspected  conspirator.  And  Agathemer  was  hopeful  of  our 
future,  of  survival,  of  escape,  of  comfort  somewhere  after  he 
had  sold  another  emerald,  ruby,  or  opal.  Nothing  could, 
for  any  length  of  time,  dim  or  cloud  the  light  of  Agathemer's 
buoyancy  of  disposition. 


BOOK  III 
DIVERSITIES 


CHAPTER  XXH 

THE  MUTINEERS 

OUR  promotion  from  the  mills  to  the  kitchen  took  place 
early  in  March  of  the  year  when  Manius  Acilius  Glabrio, 
after  an  interval  of  thirty-four  years  since  his  first  consul- 
ship, was  consul  for  the  second  time  and  had  as  nominal  asso- 
ciate Commodus,  preening  himself,  for  the  fifth  time,  on  the 
highest  office  in  the  Republic,  which  he  had  done  little  to  de- 
serve, and  while  he  held  it,  did  less  to  justify  himself  in  pos- 
sessing, since  he  left  most  of  the  duties  of  the  consulship 
to  Glabrio,  as  he  left  most  of  the  Principate  to  Perennis,  his 
Prefect  of  the  Praetorium.  All  of  this,  of  course,  we  learnt 
later  in  the  year;  for,  inside  our  prison,  we  knew  nothing  of 
what  went  on  in  Placentia,  let  alone  of  what  went  on  in  Italy 
and  in  Rome  itself. 

We  had  been  cooking  for  more  than  three  months,  when, 
about  the  middle  of  June,  our  attention  in  the  cellars  was 
distracted  from  doling  out  food,  as  that  of  the  wretches  we 
served  was  distracted  from  eating  their  scanty  rations,  by 
an  unusual  uproar  in  the  street  outside  of  our  windows.  We 
could  descry,  in  the  morning  sunlight,  military  trappings, 
tattered  cloaks,  ragged  tunics,  dingy  kilt-straps,  sheenless  hel- 
mets, unkempt  beards,  and  brawny  arms  in  the  crowds  which 
packed  the  narrow  streets.  The  mob  seemed  made  up  of 
rough  frontier  soldiery,  and  we  marvelled  at  the  presence 
of  such  men  in  Italy. 

The  uproar  increased  and  we  heard  it  not  only  from  the 
streets  but  from  the  courtyards;  we  could  not  make  out  any 
words,  but  the  tone  of  the  tumultuous  growls  was  menacing 
and  imperative.  After  no  long  interval  the  doors  at  the  foot 
of  the  one  stair  burst  open  and  there  entered  to  us  three 

325 


326  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

centurions,  indubitably  from  distant  frontier  garrisons,  ac- 
companied by  six  or  seven  optiones*  and  a  dozen  or  more 
legionaries.  The  privates  and  corporals  stood  silent  while 
one  of  the  three  sergeants  addressed  us : 

"No  one  shall  be  compelled  to  join  us.  Every  man  of  you 
shall  have  his  unforced  choice.  All  who  join  us  shall  be 
free.  Such  as  prefer  to  remain  where  they  are  sit  down! 
All  who  select  to  join  us  stand  up !" 

If  any  man  sat  down  I  did  not  see  him.  Through  the 
door  we  flowed  without  jostling  or  crowding,  for  at  the  first 
appearance  of  a  tendency  to  push  forward  the  sergeant's  big 
voice  bellowed  a  warning  and  order  reigned.  Up  the  stair 
we  poured,  passing  on  the  landing  the  mute,  motionless  por- 
ter-accountant and  his  Scythian  guard,  cowed  immobile  be- 
tween two  burly  frontier  centurions;  out  into  the  courtyard 
we  streamed,  more  and  more  following  till  the  courtyard  was 
packed.  The  whole  movement  was  made  in  silence,  without 
a  cheer  or  yell,  for,  like  the  porter  and  the  Scythians,  the 
most  unconscionable  villains  in  our  ergastulum,  quailed  be- 
fore the  truculence  of  the  frontier  sergeants. 

In  the  outer  court,  at  the  suggestion  of  one  of  those  same 
centurions,  every  man  of  us  drank  his  fill  at  the  well-curb, 
pairs  of  the  legionaries  taking  turns  at  hauling  up  the  buckets 
and  watering  us,  much  as  if  we  had  been  thirsty  work- 
horses. After  they  had  made  sure  that  none  had  missed  a 
chance  to  quench  his  thirst,  they  roughly  marshalled  us  into 
some  semblance  of  order  and  out  into  the  street  we  trooped, 
where  we  found  ourselves  between  two  detachments  of  fron- 
tier soldiers,  one  filling  the  street  ahead  of  us  from  house- 
wall  to  house-wall,  the  other  similarly  blocking  the  street  be- 
hind us.  Between  them  we  were  marched  to  the  market- 
square,  where  we  had  plenty  of  room,  for  we  had  it  all  to 
ourselves,  the  soldiery  having  cleared  it  and  a  squad  of  them 
blocking  the  entrance  of  each  street  leading  into  it,  so  that 
the  townsfolk  were  kept  out  and  we  herded  among  the  frontier 
soldiery. 

Their  centurions,  to  the  number  of  eighteen,  stood  together 
on  the  stone  platform  from  which  orators  were  accustomed 

*See  Note  F. 


THE  MUTINEERS 

to  address  or  harangue  such  crowds  as  might  assemble  in 
the  market-square.  Before  it  we  packed  ourselves  as  closely 
as  we  could,  eager  to  hear.  About  us  idled  the  soldiery  not 
occupied  in  guarding  the  approach  to  the  square. 

One  of  the  sergeants  made  a  speech  to  us,  explaining  our 
liberation  and  their  presence  in  Placentia.  He  called  us 
"comrades"  and  began  his  harangue  with  a  long  and  virulent 
denunciation  of  Perennis,  the  Prefect  of  the  Palace.  Peren- 
nis,  he  declared,  had  been  a  slave  of  the  vilest  origin  and 
had  won  his  freedom  and  the  favor  of  the  Palace  authorities 
and  of  the  Emperor  not  by  merit  but  by  rank  favoritism. 
He  maintained  that  Perennis,  as  Prefect  of  the  Palace,  had 
gained  such  an  ascendancy  over  Commodus  that  besides  his 
proper  duties  as  guardian  of  the  Emperor's  personal  safety, 
surely  a  charge  sufficiently  heavy  to  burden  any  one  man  and 
sufficiently  honorable  to  satisfy  any  reasonable  man,  his 
master  had  been  enticed  into  entrusting  to  Perennis  the  man- 
agement of  the  entire  Empire,  so  that  he  alone  controlled 
promotions  in  and  appointments  to  the  navy,  army  and  treas- 
ury services.  In  this  capacity,  as  sole  minister  and  repre- 
sentative of  the  sovereign,  Perennis  had  enriched  himself  by 
taking  bribes  from  all  from  whom  he  could  extort  bribes. 
By  his  venality  he  had  gone  far  towards  ruining  the  navy 
and  army,  which  were  by  now  more  than  half  officered  by 
hopeless  incompetents  who  had  bought  their  appointments, 
As  a  result  the  legionaries  garrisoning  the  lines  along  the 
Euphrates,  the  Carpathians,  the  Danube,  the  Ehine  and  the 
Wall,  since  they  were  badly  led,  had  suffered  undeserved 
mishandling  from  the  barbarians  attacking  them;  and  even 
the  garrisons  of  mountain  districts  like  Armenia,  Pisidia,  and 
Lusitania  had  been  mauled  by  the  bands  of  outlaws.  He 
instanced  the  rebellion  of  Maternus  as  a  result  of  the  incom- 
petence and  venality  of  Perennis. 

Worse  than  this,  he  said,  Perennis  was  plotting  the  Em- 
peror's assassination  and  the  elevation  to  the  Principate  of 
one  of  his  two  sons.  This  project  of  his,  which  he  was 
furthering  by  astute  secret  machinations,  had  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  a  loyal  member  of  the  Emperor's  retinue.  He 


328  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

had  written  of  it  to  a  brother  of  his,  Centurion  *  of  the  Thir- 
teenth Legion,  entitled  "Victorious"  and  quartered  on  the 
Wall,  along  the  northern  frontier  of  Britain,  towards  the 
Caledonian  Highlands.  This  letter  had  reached  the  quarters 
of  the  Thirteenth  Legion  late  in  September.  Its  recipient 
had  at  once  communicated  to  his  fellow-sergeants  the  horrible 
intimation  which  it  contained.  They  had  resolved  to  do  all  in 
their  power  to  save  their  Prince  by  forestalling  and  foiling 
the  treacherous  Perennis.  They  had  called  a  meeting  of  their 
garrison  and  disclosed  their  information  to  their  men.  The 
legionaries  acclaimed  their  decision.  Deputations  set  out  east 
and  west  along  the  Wall  and  roused  the  other  cohorts  of  the 
Thirteenth  Legion  and  those  of  the  Twenty-Seventh.  From 
the  Wall  messengers  galloped  south  to  the  garrisons  through- 
out Britain.  In  an  incredibly  short  time,  despite  the  ap- 
proach and  onset  of  winter,  they  apprised  every  garrison  in 
the  island.  Messengers  from  every  garrison  reached  every 
garrison.  So  rapidly  was  mutual  comprehension  and  una- 
nimity established,  so  secretly  did  they  operate,  that  on  the 
Nones  of  January  all  the  garrisons  in  Britain  simultaneously 
mutinied,  overpowered  their  unsuspecting  officers,  disclosed 
to  them  the  reasons  for  their  sedition,  and  invited  them  to 
join  them.  Of  all  the  officers  on  the  island  only  two  hesi- 
tated to  agree  with  their  men.  These,  after  some  expostula- 
tion, were  killed.  The  rest  resumed  their  duties,  if  com- 
petent, or  were  relegated  to  civilian  life,  if  adjudged  in- 
competent. 

The  three  most  prominent  legions  in  Britain,  the  Sixth, 
Thirteenth  and  Twentieth,  each  entitled,  because  of  prowess 
displayed  in  past  campaigns,  to  the  appellation  of  "Victori- 
ous," selected  the  equivalent  of  a  cohort  apiece  to  unite  into  a 
deputation  representing  the  soldiery  of  Britain  collectively,  to 
proceed  to  Eome,  reveal  to  the  Emperor  his  danger,  save 
him,  foil  Perennis,  and  see  to  it  that  he  was  put  to  death. 
In  pursuance  of  this  plan  the  six  centuries  chosen  by  the 
Thirteenth  Legion,  about  five  hundred  men,  had  set  out  south- 
ward from  the  Wall  on  the  day  before  the  Ides  of  January. 
Accomplishing  the  march  of  a  hundred  and  thirty-five 

*See  Note  D. 


THE  MUTINEERS  329 

to  Eburacum,  in  spite  of  deep  snow  and  heavy  snow-storms, 
in  fourteen  days,  there  they  foregathered  with  the  main  body 
of  the  Sixth  Legion  and  were  joined  by  their  six  selected 
centuries.  The  twelve,  some  thousand  picked  men,  accom- 
plished the  march  of  eighty-five  miles  to  Deva  in  nine  days, 
though  hampered  by  terrible  weather.  There  they  were  joined 
by  the  delegates  of  the  Twentieth  Legion.  Together  the 
fifteen  hundred  deputies  made  the  march  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty  miles  to  Ritupis  by  way  of  Londinium,  in  twenty- 
eight  days.  At  Ritupis  they  took  part  in  the  festival  of 
Isis,  by  which  navigation  was  declared  open  for  the  year  and 
navigation  blessed.  Next  day,  on  the  day  before  the  Nones 
of  March,  they  had  sailed  for  Gaul  and  made  the  crossing 
in  ten  hours,  without  any  hindrance  from  headwinds  or 
bad  weather. 

From  Gessoriacum  they  had  tramped  across  Gaul,  inducing 
to  join  them  such  kindred  spirits  as  they  encountered  among 
the  squads  of  recent  levies  being  drilled  at  each  large  town 
preparatory  to  being  forwarded  to  reinforce  the  frontier  gar- 
risons. These  inexperienced  recruits  they  had  organized  into 
centuries  under  sergeants  elected  by  the  recruits  themselves 
from  among  themselves,  which  elective  centurions  had  hand- 
ily learnt  their  novel  duties  from  instructions  given  by  one  OP 
two  veterans  detailed  to  aid  in  drilling  each  new  century. 
Before  they  reached  Vapincum  they  had  associated  with 
them  fresh  comrades  equalling  themselves  in  number, 
equipped  from  town  arsenals.  With  these  they  had  crossed 
into  Italy  through  the  Cottian  Alps. 

At  Segusio  they  had  been  told  that,  under  the  misrule  of 
l?erennis,  the  ergastula  of  Italy  were  filled,  not  half  with 
runaway  slaves,  petty  thieves,  rascals,  ruffians  and  outlaws, 
but  mainly  with  honest  fellows  who  had  committed  no  crime, 
but  had  been  secretly  arrested  and  consigned  to  their  prisons 
merely  because  they  had  incurred  the  displeasure  of  Perennis 
or  of  one  of  his  henchmen,  or  had  been  suspected,  however 
vaguely,  of  actions,  words  or  even  of  unspoken  opinions  dis- 
tasteful to  him  or  to  anyone  powerful  through  him.  Acting 
on  that  information  they  had  been  setting  free  the  inmates 


S30  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  ergastula  in  cities  through  which  they  had  passed,  such 
as  Turin  and  Milan,  and  had  formed  from  these  victims  two 
fresh  centuries.  They  proposed  that  we  join  them  and  march 
with  them  to  Rome  to  inform  and  rescue  our  Emperor  and 
foil  and  kill  Perennis. 

Of  course  the  liberated  riffraff  accepted  this  suggestion 
with  enthusiasm  and  without  a  dissenting  voice.  We  were 
divided  into  squads  of  convenient  size  and  marched  off  to  the 
near-by  bathing  establishments.  In  that  to  which  Agathemer 
and  I  were  led,  we,  with  the  rest  of  our  squad,  were  told  by 
the  sergeant  superintending  us  to  strip.  Our  worn,  tattered 
and  lousy  garments  were  turned  over  to  the  bath-attendants 
to  be  steamed  and  then  disposed  of  as  they  might.  We  were 
thoroughly  steamed  and  scrubbed,  so  that  every  man  of  us 
was  freed  from  every  sort  of  vermin.  During  our  bath  the 
centurion  in  charge  of  us  unobtrusively  inspected  us  indi- 
vidually and  collectively.  In  the  dressing-room  of  the  bathing 
establishments,  after  we  had  been  steamed,  scrubbed,  baked, 
and  dried,  we  were  clad  in  military  tunics  fetched  from  the 
town  arsenal  or  its  store-houses.  Also  we  were  provided  with 
military  boots  of  the  coarsest  and  cheapest  materials,  made 
after  the  pattern  usual  for  frontier  regiments. 

Outside  the  bath  the  watchful  sergeant  divided  us  into 
two  squads,  a  larger  and  a  smaller,  the  smaller  made  up  of 
those  who,  like  Agathemer  and  me,  bore  brands,  and  scourge- 
marks.  In  the  market-square  we  were  again  herded  together, 
surrounded  by  the  British  legionaries  and  now  ourselves 
divided  into  those  like  me  and  Agathemer,  who  were  marked 
as  runaway  slaves  and  the  larger  number  who  showed  no 
marks  of  scourge  or  brand.  From  among  the  unmarked  the 
frontier  centurions  picked  out  thirty  whom  they  judged 
likely  material  for  sergeants  like  themselves.  These  thirty 
they  bade  select  from  among  themselves  three.  Then  they 
set  the  three,  an  Umbrian  and  a  Ligurian  outlaw,  and  a  Dal- 
matian pirate,  along  the  front  of  the  stone  platform  and 
asked  us  whether  we  would  accept  those  three  as  our  cen- 
turions. Two  speakers,  one  a  Venetian  and  the  other  an 
Insubrian  Gaul,  objected  to  the  pirate.  In  his  place  we 


THE  MUTINEERS  331 

•were  bidden  to  choose  some  other  from  the  twenty-seven  al- 
ready selected  by  the  sergeants.  A  second  Umbrian  outlaw 
was  selected. 

Then  the  centurions  bade  the  newly-elected  three  to  choose 
each  one  man  in  rotation,  until  they  had  made  up  for  each 
the  nucleus  of  a  century  from  the  unmarked  men. 

After  the  three  new  centuries  were  thus  constituted,  they 
asked  them  to  decide  whether  they  would  accept  as  com- 
rades and  associates  the  residue  of  the  inmates  of  our  ergas- 
tulum  who  were  marked  plainly  as  runaway  slaves.  They 
voted  overwhelmingly  to  accept  us.  Then  the  three  new 
sergeants  proceeded  to  choose  us  also  into  their  centuries. 
The  choosing  was  interrupted  by  a  Eavenna  Gaul,  who  called 
the  attention  of  the  assembly  to  the  fact  that  Agathemer 
had  been  cook  to  the  ergastulum  and  I  his  helper;  similarly 
to  the  baker  and  his  assistant.  After  some  discussion  it  was 
unanimously  voted  that  the  baker  and  his  helper  be  treated 
as  any  others  of  the  liberated  rascals,  that  the  three  new  cen- 
turions draw  lots  which  should  have  Agathemer  for  cook  to 
his  century  and  me  for  his  helper,  and  that  the  other  two 
centuries  appoint  cooks  by  lot  unless  cooks  and  helpers  volun- 
teered. Four  of  the  brand-marked  rabble  at  once  volunteered. 

After  the  last  man  had  been  selected  and  the  British  cen- 
turions had  marshalled,  inspected  and  approved  the  three  new 
centuries  thus  constituted,  we  were  marched  off  to  the  town 
arsenal  and  there  equipped  with  corselets,  strap-kilts, 
greaves;  cloaks,  helmets,  shields,  swords  and  spears;  only 
Agathemer,  I,  and  the  four  other  cooks  and  helpers,  were 
given  no  spears,  shields,  helmets  or  body-armour,  only 
swords,  jackets  and  caps. 

Then,  full-fledged  tumultary  legionaries,  we  were  mar- 
shalled as  well  as  greenhorns  could  be  ranked  and  we  marched 
from  the  market-place  the  length  of  the  street  leading  to  the 
Fidentia  Gate.  Outside  it  we  found  the  semblance  of  a 
camping-ground  and  tents  ready  for  us  to  set  up.  Up  we  set 
them,  we  new  recruits,  clumsily,  under  the  jeers  of  the  old- 
timers,  to  the  tune  of  taunts  and  curses  from  the  disgusted 
veteran  centurions. 


832  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

When  the  camp  was  set  up  a  fire  was  made  for  each  cen* 
tury  and  we  cooks  and  helpers  fell  to  our  duties,  with  a  squad 
of  privates  to  cut  wood,  feed  the  fires,  fetch  water  and  do 
any  other  rough  preparatory  work,  such  as  butchering  a  sheep 
or  a  goat,  killing,  picking  and  cleaning  fowls,  and  what  not. 
For  this  welcome,  if  clumsy,  assistance  we  had  to  thank  one 
of  the  British  centurions,  who  admonished  our  newly-elected 
Umbrian  sergeant  that  camp-cookery  called  for  any  needed 
number  of  assistant  helpers  to  the  chief  cook  if  the  men  were 
to  be  fed  properly  and  promptly. 

The  town  officials  had  sent  out  to  the  camp  a  generous  pro- 
vision of  wheat,  barley,  lentils,  pulse,  sheep,  goats,  fowls, 
cheese,  oil,  salt  and  wine.  I  did  not  learn  how  the  volunteer 
cooks  fared,  but  the  barley-stew,  seasoned  with  minced  fowls, 
which  Agathemer  concocted,  was  acclaimed  by  our  century. 

That  night,  in  our  tent,  Agathemer  and  I,  talking  Greek 
and  whispering,  discussed  our  situation.  After  two  fulfill- 
ments, the  prophesy  of  the  Aemilian  Sibyl  seemed  in  a  fair 
way  to  be  fulfilled  a  third  time;  we  were  headed  for  Kome. 

To  Rome  we  went.  We  had,  in  that  first  consultation,  in 
many  similar  consultations  later,  planned  to  escape  and 
hoped  to  escape.  But  we  were  too  carefully  watched. 
Whether  we  were  suspected  because  of  our  scourge-marks  and 
brand-marks,  or  were  prized  as  cooks,  or  whether  there  was 
some  other  reason,  we  could  not  conjecture.  Certainly  we 
Were  sedulously  guarded  on  all  marches,  and  kept  strictly 
within  each  camp,  though  we  were  free  to  wander  about 
tach  camp  as  we  pleased. 

We  had  planned  to  escape  in  or  near  Parma,  Mutina, 
Bonohia,  or  Faventia,  any  of  which  towns  Agathemer  judged 
a  favorable  locality  for  marketing  a  gem  from  our  amulet- 
bags.  But  in  these,  as  everywhere  else,  our  guards  gave  us 
no  chance  of  escape. 

When  not  busy  cooking  I  found  myself  greatly  interested 
in  the  amazing  company  among  which  I  was  cast.  In  my 
rambles  about  our  camp,  when  all  were  full-fed  and  groups 
sat  or  lay  chatting  about  the  slackening  camp-fires,  I  be- 
came acquainted  with  most  of  the  eighteen  centurions  from 


THE  MUTINEERS  333 

the  legions  quartered  in  Britain,  and  had  talks,  sometimes 
even  long  talks,  with  more  than  half  of  them.  These  bluff, 
burly  frontier  sergeants,  like  their  corporals  and  men,  treated 
all  their  volunteer  associates  as  welcome  comrades,  even 
welted  and  branded  runaway  slaves  acting  as  cooks.  From 
them  I  heard  again  and  again  the  story  of  discontent,  con- 
spiracy, mutiny,  insurrection  and  attempt  at  protest  about 
rectification  of  the  evils  they  believed  to  exist,  which  tale 
we  had  all  heard  outlined  by  the  sergeant-orator  in  the  Forum 
of  Placentia. 

Among  the  eighteen  centurions  there  was  no  sergeant- 
major  nor  any  centurion  of  the  upper  rank.  The  highest  in 
army  rank  was  Sextius  Baculus  of  Isca,  a  native  of  Britain 
and  lineally  descended,  through  an  original  colonist  of  Isca, 
from  the  celebrated  sergeant-major  of  the  Divine  Julius.  He 
had  been  twelfth  in  rank  in  the  Sixth  Legion,  being  second 
centurion  of  its  second  cohort.  Not  one  of  his  seventeen 
associates  had  ranked  so  high :  the  next  highest  being  Publius 
Cordatus,  of  Lindum,  who  had  been  second  sergeant  of 
the  fourth  cohort  in  the  Twentieth  Legion. 

The  totality  of  my  mental  impressions  of  what  I  heard 
from  these  two  and  other  members  of  this  incredible  depu- 
tation of  insurgent  mutineers  and  of  what  I  saw  of  the  doingg 
of  the  whole  deputation,  was  vague  and  confused.  From 
the  confusion  emerged  a  predominating  sense  of  their  many 
inconsistencies  and  of  the  haphazard  irresponsibility  and  in- 
consequence of  their  states  of  mind  and  actions.  They  were, 
indeed,  entirely  consistent  in  one  respect.  Unlike  Maternus 
and  his  men,  not  one  of  them  blamed  Commodus  for  any- 
thing, not  even  for  having  appointed  Perennis  to  his  high 
office  and  then  having  permitted  him  to  arrogate  to  himself 
all  the  functions  of  the  government  of  the  Eepublic  and 
Empire.  One  and  all  they  excused  the  Emperor  and  ex- 
pressed for  him  enthusiastic  loyalty :  one  and  all  they  blamed 
not  only  the  Prefect's  mismanagement  but  also  his  own  ap- 
pointment on  Perennis.  Consistent  as  they  were  in  holding 
these  opinions  or  in  having  such  feelings,  the  notions  were 
inconsistent  in  themselves. 


334  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

So  likewise  was  their  often  expressed  and  manifestly  sin- 
cere intention  to  forestall  the  consummation  of  the  alleged 
conspiracy  and  save  the  Emperor  inconsistent  with  their  slow 
progress  from  Britain  towards  Borne.  Never  having  been  in 
Britain  and  knowing  little  of  it  from  such  reports  as  I  had 
heard,  I  could  not  controvert  their  assertion  that  the  state 
of  the  roads  and  weather  there  had  made  impossible  greater 
speed  than  they  had  achieved  from  their  quarters  to  their 
port,  yet  I  suspected  that  men  really  systematically  in  earnest 
Anight  have  accomplished  in  twenty  days  marches  which  had 
occupied  them  for  fifty-one  days.  I  was  certain  that  it  was 
nothing  short  of  ridiculous  for  legionaries  in  hard  fighting 
condition  and  well  fed  to  consume  one  hundred  and  one 
days  in  marching  from  their  landing-port  on  the  coast  of 
Gaul  to  Placentia:  ten  miles  a  day  was  despicable  marching 
even  for  lazy  and  eoft-muscled  recruits;  any  legionaries 
should  make  fifteen  miles  a,  day  under  any  conditions, 
earnest  men  keyed  up  to  hurry  should  have  made  twenty 
and  might  often  march  twenty-five  miles  between  camps. 
These  blatherskites  were  on  fire  with  high  resolve,  by  their 
talk,  yet  had  loafed  along  for  a  thousand  miles,  camping 
early,  sleeping  long  after  sunrise,  resting  at  midday  and 
gorging  themselves  at  leisurely  meals.  All  this  was  amazing. 

Equally  astonishing  was  the  condition  of  supineness,  of  all 
governmental  officials  in  Gaul,  local  and  Imperial,  as  their 
tale  revealed  it.  Neither  the  Prefect  of  the  Ehine,  nor  any 
one  of  the  Procurators  of  Gaul,  had,  as  far  as  their  story  in- 
dicated, made  any  effort  to  arrest  them,  turn  them  back, 
stop  them,  check  them,  hinder  them  or  even  have  them  ex- 
postulated with.  As  far  as  I  could  infer  from  all  I  heard 
neither  had  the  governing  body  of  any  city  or  town.  For  all 
they  were  interfered  with  by  any  official  they  might  have 
been  full-time  veterans,  honorably  discharged,  marching 
homeward  under  accredited  officers  provided  with  diplomas 
properly  made  out,  signed,  sealed  and  stamped.  Everywhere 
they  had  been  fed  at  public  expense,  lodged  free  or  provided 
with  camping-grounds  and  tents;  their  pack-animals  had 
been  replaced  if  worn  out,  and  everything  they  needed  had 


THE  MUTINEERS  835 

been  provided  on  their  asking  for  it  or  even  before  they 
made  any  request.  I  could  only  infer  that  they  had  in- 
spired fear  by  their  numbers  and  truculence  and  that  each 
town  or  district  had  striven  to  keep  them  in  a  good  humor 
and  to  get  rid  of  them  as  soon  as  possible  by  entertaining 
them  lavishly  and  speeding  them  along  their  chosen  way. 

As  they  told  of  their  own  behavior  there  had  been  no  con- 
sistency or  system  or  method  in  their  additions  to  their 
company.  By  their  own  account  they  had  enticed  men  to 
join  them  or  had  ignored  likely  recruits  in  the  most  hap- 
hazard fashion,  purely  as  the  humor  struck  them.  The  like 
was  true  of  their  emptyings  of  ergastula  in  Italy.  At  Turin, 
as  well  as  I  could  gather  from  my  chats  with  this  or  that 
centurion  or  soldier  or  liberated  slave,  they  had  set  free 
the  inmates  of  the  ergastulum  by  the  Segusio  Gate  and  had 
then  turned  aside  to  that  by  the  Vercellae  Grate,  but  had 
ignored  the  larger  ergastulum  by  the  Milan  Gate;  though 
they  had  marched  out  of  Turin,  necessarily,  by  that  gate. 
Similarly  at  Milan,  they  had  emptied  two  ergastula  and 
ignored  the  rest;  as  at  Placentia,  where  they  had  expended 
all  their  time  and  energy  on  the  first  ergastulum  they  hap- 
pened on  inside  the  Milan  Gate  and  on  ours,  and  then  had 
ignored  or  forgotten  the  four  or  five  others,  equally  large 
and  equally  well  filled. 

On  our  progress  to  Rome  I  saw  similar  inconsistencies  in 
their  behavior.  They  never  so  much  as  entered  Fidentia,  but 
marched  round  it,  acquiescent  to  the  gentle  suggestion  of  a 
trembling  and  incoherent  alderman,  quaking  with  fear  and 
barely  able  to  enunciate  some  disjointed  sentences.  At  Parma 
they  emptied  two  ergastula  and  never  so  much  as  ap- 
proached the  others,  repeating  this  inconsistency  at  Mutina 
and  Bononia.  Outside  of  Faventia  something,  I  never 
learned  what,  enraged  a  knot  of  the  veterans,  so  that  their 
fury  communicated  itself  to  all  the  soldiery  from  Britain 
and  inflamed  their  associates,  Gallic  and  Italian.  Whereupon 
we  burst  the  Bononia  Gate  of  Faventia,  flocked  into  the 
town,  sacked  some  of  the  shops,  left  a  score  of  corpses  in  the 
market-place  and  some  in  the  streets  near  it,  set  fire  to  a 


336  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO  ; 

block  of  buildings,  and  burst  out  of  the  Ariminum  Gate,. 
tumultuous  and  excited,  but  without  so  much  as  trying  the 
outer  doors  of  any  ergastulum. 

Yet,  after  this  riotous  performance,  we  did  no  damage  at 
Ariminum,  not  even  entering  the  town,  not  even  enquiring. 
if  it  had  an  ergastulum,  as  it  must  have  had. 

Similarly  at  Pisaurum,  at  Fanum  Fortunae,  at  Forum 
Sempronii,  though  these  were  small  towns  and  could  not 
have  resisted  us,  we  camped  outside,  accepted  gracefully  the 
tents  and  food  provided  for  us  and  made  no  move  to  maltreat 
anyone  or  do  any  looting.  But  at  Nuceria,  at  Spolitum 
and  at  Narnia  we  entered  the  towns  and  liberated  the  inmates 
of  two  of  the  ergastula  in  each,  though  we  never  so  much, 
as  threatened  Interamnia. 

Looking  back  over  these  proceedings  I  explain  them  to  my- 
self approximately  as  follows:  the  eighteen  centurions  from 
Britain  treated  each  other  as  if  they  all  felt  on  terms  of 
complete  mutual  equality,  none  ever  assumed  any  rights  of 
superiority,  seniority,  precedence,  or  authority,  none  was  ever 
invested  with  any  right  of  permanent  or  temporary  leader- 
ship. If  some  whim  prompted  any  one  of  the  eighteen  to 
take  the  lead  in  emptying  an  ergastulum  or  breaking  in  a 
town  gate,  or  sacking  a  shop,  not  one  of  his  fellow-sergeants 
demurred  or  expostulated  or  opposed  him;  they  all  con- 
curred in  any  suggestion  of  any  one  of  them.  And  the  sol- 
diers followed  their  centurions  with,  apparently,  implicit  con- 
fidence in  them,  or  a  blind  instinct  of  deference.  So  of  sub- 
mission to  the  request  of  any  town  decurion,  that  they  stay 
outside:  mostly,  they  were  acquiescent.  But  if  something 
irritated  a  sergeant,  or  even  a  soldier,  the  entire  deputation 
flamed  into  fury  and  burst  gates,  sacked  shops  and  even  fired 
buildings  until  their  rage  spent  inself,  after  which  they  were 
civil  and  kindly  to  all  townsmen,  whether  officials,  citizens, 
slaves  or  women  and  children.  I  never  could  detect  any 
reason  for  any  action  or  inaction  of  theirs. 


THE  EMPEROR  337 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE   EMPEROR 

THE  liberations  of  public  slaves  from  drgastula  in  Turin, 
Milan,  Placentia,  Parma,  Mutina,  Bononia,  ISTuceria, 
Spolitum  and  Narnia  resulted  in  the  formation  of  eighteen 
tumultuary  centuries,  which,  between  Narnia  and  Ocriculum, 
during  a  long  noon-halt,  were  formed  into  the  semblance  of 
three  cohorts,  thus  we  approached  Eome  as  nine  cohorts :  three 
of  the  deputies  from  Britain ;  three  more  of  the  recruits  from 
Gaul,  presumably  like  the  British  legionaries,  loyal  patriots, 
bent  on  foiling  Perennis,  and  saving  their  beloved  Emperor; 
and  three  more  composed  of  the  contents  of  a  dozen  or  more 
ergastula,  opened  as  the  whim  took  the  veteran  sergeants, 
and  assumed  to  contain  not  pilferers,  runaways  or  evil-doers, 
but  innocent  victims  of  the  malignity  of  the  understrappers 
of  that  unspeakable  Perennis. 

As  we  drew  near  Rome  Agathemer  and  I  discussed  our 
situation  and  prospects  with  increasing  alarm.  After  we 
left  Narnia  the  watch  on  us  was  not  so  close  and  we  might 
have  escaped.  But  we  had  seen  a  score  of  attempts  at  es- 
cape, by  various  rascals,  foiled  and  ending  in  the  butchery 
of  the  would-be  fugitives.  While  escape  was  possible  the 
risk  was  very  great.  Also,  Agathemer  argued,  we  were  too 
near  to  Rome  to  be  safe  if  we  got  clear  away.  Between  dread 
of  death  if  caught  and  fear  of  we  knew  not  what  if  we 
escaped,  we  stuck  to  our  cookery.  Mixed  with  our  projects 
for  bettering  our  prospects  we  talked  much  of  our  amaze- 
ment at  the  treatment  which  the  deputation  and  its  associates 
had  met  in  Italy.  Manifestly  the  townsfolk  and  their  offi- 
cials were  not  only  overawed,  but  helpless.  If  there  had  been 
no  Rome,  no  Republic,  no  Praetorians,  no  Prefect  of  the 
Palace,  no  central  authority  whatever  we  could  not  have  been 
more  completely  free  from  hindrance,  coercion  or  question. 
Yet  Agathemer  and  I  could  not  but  conjecture  that  the 
Senate,  Perennis  and  Commodus  had  been  promptly  and 


858  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

minutely  informed  of  all  our  doings,  of  our  progress,  of  our 
approach;  and  had  taken  measures  to  deal  with  us  and  our 
instigators.  We  felt  panicky. 

Spouting  long  tirades  about  their  loyalty  to  the  Emperor, 
their  hatred  of  Perennis  and  their  eagerness  to  foil  one  and 
save  the  other,  our  irresponsible  frontier  centurions  let  their 
men  and  us  loiter  southward  through  Cisalpine  Gaul  and 
TJmbria  as  they  had  loitered  on  the  other  side  of  the  Alps, 
seldom  marching  more  than  ten  miles  a  day.  So  that  we 
left  Ocriculum  on  the  tenth  day  before  the  Kalends  of  August 
and  stopped  overnight  at  each  change-station. 

We  had  had  fair  weather  all  the  way  from  Placentia,  ex- 
cept a  heavy  rain  at  Ariminum  and  showers  in  the  moun- 
tains between  Forum  Sempronii  and  Nuceria.  When  day 
dawned  on  us  at  Eostrata  Villa,  on  the  eighth  day  before 
the  Kalends  of  August,  it  dawned  cloudy,  but  not  threatening. 
After  the  usual  camp  breakfast  of  porridge  and  wine,  we 
fell  in,  by  now  fairly  decent  marchers,  and  set  off  for 
Kubrae.  But  before  we  had  marched  a  mile,  the  low  clouds 
soaked  us  with  such  a  downpour  as  I  had  seldom  seen  of  a 
July  morning  near  Home.  So  heavy  and  so  unrelenting  was 
the  rain  that  we  were  glad  to  halt  at  the  change-house  at 
the  twentieth  mile-stone,  where  the  road  from  Capena  to 
Veii  crosses  the  Flaminian  Highway  and  where  there  is  a 
prosperous  village  as  large  as  many  a  small  town.  There  we 
found  quarters  and  food  ready  for  us  and  were  well  enter- 
tained. Ad  Vicesimum,  as  the  place  is  called,  is  only  four 
miles  nearer  Rome  than  Villa  Rostrata. 

It  was  about  midway  of  that  four-mile  march  in  the  pour- 
ing rain  that  I  saw  by  the  roadside  three  immobile  horse- 
men, their  forms  swathed  in  horsemen's  rain-cloaks,  their 
faces  hidden  under  broad-brimmed  rain-hats,  lined  up  with 
their  horses'  noses  barely  a  horse-length  from  the  roadway, 
watching  from  a  little  knoll  our  column  as  it  passed.  The 
middle  horseman  of  the  three  looked  familiar.  I  glanced 
back  at  him  and  met  his  eyes,  intensely  watching  me  from 
under  his  dripping  hat  brim,  as  I  trudged  on  the  edge  of 
the  trudging  rabble.  A  hot  qualm  surged  through  me.  It 


THE  EMPEROR  339 

was,  it  certainly  was,  the  very  same  man  I  had  seen  in  the 
very  same  guise  on  the  road  below  Villa  Andivia  as  Tanno 
and  I  passed  hy  on  our  way  to  our  fatal  brawl  at  Vediamnum ; 
the  very  man  who  had  peered  in  at  me  and  Capito  during 
his  fatal  conference  with  me  in  Nemestronia's  water-garden, 
the  man  whom  Tanno  had  asserted  that  he  knew  for  an 
Imperial  spy.  I  felt  recognition  in  his  gaze;  felt  that  he 
knew  me  for  my  very  self.  And  his  nose  was  hooked. 

At  our  halting  place,  when  Agathemer  and  I  were  alone, 
I  asked  him  in  Greek  if  he  had  noticed  the  three  stationary 
horsemen.  He  at  once,  without  my  mentioning  my  sus- 
picions, declared  that  he  also  had  recognized  the  middle 
horseman  precisely  as  I  had.  What  his  presence  there  might 
forbode,  what  his  apparent  recognition  of  me  might  portend, 
we  could  not  conjecture.  We  agreed  that,  although  both  of 
us  had  been  on  the  lookout  for  Imperial  emissaries  all  the 
way  from  Placentia,  and  alertly  watching  from  Ariminum 
southwards,  this  was  the  first  time  we  had  set  eyes  on  any 
man  whom  we  could  take  for  a  secret-service  man.  That 
so  much  time  had  elapsed  since  the  authorities  must  have 
been  warned  of  our  approach,  that  we  should  have  advanced 
so  near  Eome  and  yet  that  this  should  be  the  first  visible 
indication  of  espionage  upon  us,  amazed  both  me  and 
Agathemer. 

Next  day,  a  cloudy  but  rainless  day,  we  marched  only  to 
Rubrae,  the  change-station  nearest  Eome.  There,  as  at  every 
previous  halt,  we  found  the  authorities  apprised  of  our  ap- 
proach and  prepared  to  lodge  and  feed  us.  And,  as  always 
since  we  left  Nuceria,  we  were  comfortably  sheltered  in  a 
camp  all  ready  for  our  occupancy  and  lavishly  provided  with 
varied  food  and  passable  wine. 

Next  day,  the  sixth  day  before  the  Kalends  of  August, 
dawned  exquisitely  fair  and  bright,  with  a  soft  steady  breeze ; 
a  perfect  July  day,  mild  but  not  too  warm.  Our  elected 
sergeants,  now  quite  habituated  to  their  duties  and  authority 
as  centurions,  routed  us  up  early  and,  after  a  leisurely  camp- 
breakfast,  we  fell  in  and  set  off  on  the  last  stage  of  this  amaz- 
ing unopposed  march  of  fifteen  hundred  insurgent  mutineers 


340  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

for  nineteen  hundred  miles,  in  making  which  they  had  so 
loitered  that  they  had  consumed  on  the  road  more  than 
half  a  year  and  along  which  they  had  added  to  their  company 
casual  associates  twice  as  numerous  as  themselves.  We  left 
Eubrae  an  excited  horde,  for  the  veterans  were  keyed  up  to 
a  tense  pitch  of  expectancy  by  their  anticipation  of  they  knew 
not  what  culmination  to  their  insane  adventure  and  their 
accidental  recruits  were  aquiver  with  uneasiness  and  appre- 
hension. 

The  Mulvian  Bridge  over  the  Tiber  is  not  more  than  four 
miles  from  Rubra3  along  the  winding  Flaminian  Highway 
and  we  were  crossing  it  before  the  third  hour  of  the  day  was 
past.  Marching  with  the  first  of  the  three  centuries  formed 
at  Placentia  I  had  about  five-sixths  of  our  column  ahead  of 
me.  So  I  did  not  see,  did  not  even  glimpse,  did  not,  from 
far  towards  the  rear,  so  much  as  guess  what  was  happening. 
I  knew  only  that,  as  I  was  more  than  half  way  across  the 
Mulvian  Bridge,  a  wave  of  cheers  started  far  forward  in  our 
column  and  ran  back  to  my  century  and  all  the  way  to  the 
rearmost  men.  What  had  occurred  we  did  not  know,  but 
we  broke  ranks  and  flowed  out  of  the  road  to  left  and  right, 
as  did  the  men  ahead  of  us,  becoming  almost  a  mob,  despite 
the  remonstrances  and  orders  of  our  disgusted  sergeants. 
They  restrained  us  to  some  extent,  but  we  were  kept  back 
more  by  the  fact  that  the  foremost  men  blocked  the  high- 
way, the  men  who  had  been  marching  next  them  blocked 
the  fields  to  right  and  left  of  the  highway  and  the  rest  of  us 
were  checked  behind  them,  like  water  above  a  dam. 

As  we  stood  there,  packed  together,  with  hardly  a  sem- 
blance of  ranks  kept  anywhere,  craning  to  see  over  the  heads 
of  the  men  in  front  of  us  and  to  try  to  see  past  and  between 
the  many  big  and  tall  tombs  and  mausoleums  which  flanked 
the  road  on  either  side,  a  period  of  tense  silence  or  blurred 
murmurings  was  ended  by  a  second  great  surge  of  cheers 
from  front  to  rear.  We  all  cheered  till  we  were  hoarse. 
Again  we  peered  and  listened  and  questioned  each  other, 
again  came  a  roar  of  cheering  like  a  sea  billow.  Again  and 
again  alternated  the  half  silence  and  the  uproar.  Before 


THE  EMPEROR  3*1 

we  learned  what  was  happening  or  had  happened  word  came 
from  mouth  to  mouth  that  we  were  going  on.  The  press 
in  front  of  us  gradually  melted  away,  we  were  able  to  sidle 
into  the  roadway,  reform  ranks  and  tramp  on  Homewards. 

After  a  very  brief  march  we  turned  aside  to  our  right  into 
a  meadow  on  the  west  of  the  road  and  its  flanking  rows  of 
tombs,  between  the  Highway  and  the  Tiber,  about  half  way 
from  Mulvian  Bridge  to  the  Flaminian  Gate  of  Eome;  that  is, 
about  half  a  mile  from  each.  There  we  found  a  meticulously 
laid-out  and  perfectly  appointed  camp,  precisely  suited  to 
the  forty-five  hundred  of  us  and  our  requisitioned  mules, 
wagons  and  what  not.  It  contained  some  four  hundred  and 
fifty  tents,  set  on  clipped  grass  along  rolled  and  gravelled 
streets  as  straight  as  bricklayers'  guide-boards;  all  about  a 
paved  square  of  ample  size,  on  the  rear  of  which  was  set  up 
a  gorgeous  commander's  tent  of  the  whitest  canvas,  striped 
with  red  almost  as  deep,  rich  and  glowing  as  the  Imperial 
crimson,  and  manifestly  meant  to  imitate  it  as  closely  as 
guch  a  dyestuff  could.  On  either  side  of  this  Praetorium 
were  a  dozen  tents,  smaller  indeed  than  the  Prsetorium,  but 
much  larger  than  tents  set  up  for  us,  presumably  for  the 
commanders'  aides.  In  front  of  the  Praetorium,  between 
it  and  the  square,  was  a  wide,  broad  and  high  platform  of 
new  brickwork,  paved  on  top,  railed  with  solid,  low,  carved 
railings  set  in  short  carved  oak  posts.  The  corner  posts, 
and  two  others  dividing  the  front  and  back  of  the  platform 
equally,  were  tall  and  supported  an  awning  of  striped  can- 
vas like  that  of  the  commander's  tent. 

Goggling  with  curiosity  we,  as  we  deployed  to  our  quarters, 
stared  hard  at  the  magnificent  tent  and  sumptuous  platform 
with  its  gorgeous  awning.  Once  at  our  quarters,  I  and  Aga- 
themer,  of  course,  must  cook  and  serve  food  to  our  century. 
Only  after  all  were  fed  did  we,  in  common  with  all  the 
middle  and  rear  of  our  road-column,  learn  what  had  occurred. 

While  we  ate,  our  sergeants,  while  they  also  ate  somehow, 
held  a  centurions'  council,  at  which  those  of  the  fifty-four 
who  had  not  been  far  enough  forward  on  the  Highway  to  see 
and  hear  were  informed,  by  those  who  had,  of  what  had 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

happened.  When  our  sergeant  returned  from  this  council 
he  told  us,  in  a  jumbled  and  mumbled  attempt  at  an  address. 

From  what  he  told  me  and  from  what  I  heard  later  I 
gather  that,  as  the  column  debouched  from  the  bridge,  its 
head  was  met  and  checked  by  a  body  of  mounted  Praetorian 
Guards.  Their  tribune,  in  the  name  of  the  Emperor,  ordered 
the  column  to  halt  and  bade  its  centurions  deploy  their  men 
right  and  left  and  mass  them  in  a  largish  space  free  of  big 
tombs.  As  they  deployed  the  Prastorians  also  deployed  to 
left  and  right  of  the  Highway  and  the  foremost  mutineers 
descried  on  the  roadway  the  splendid  horses  and  gorgeous 
trappings  of  the  Emperor's  personal  staff,  among  whom,  from 
the  statues,  busts  and  painted  panel-portraits  of  him  which 
they  had  seen  daily  in  their  own  quarters  and  countless  times 
on  their  road  to  Eome,  the  more  alert  of  them  recognized  their 
liege. 

Then  rose  that  unexpected  wave  of  cheering  which  had  first 
apprized  us  in  the  rear  that  something  unusual  was  toward, 
Commodus,  as  I  heard  from  Publius  Cordatus  himself,  after 
our  nap  and  before  the  Emperor's  return,  was  mounted  on  a 
tall  sorrel  such  as  his  father  had  always  preferred  on  hia 
frontier  campaigns.  Also  he  was  garbed  not  only  as  his 
father  had  habitually  been  when  on  frontier  expeditions, 
but  seemingly,  in  one  of  his  old  outfits.  For  not  only  Cor- 
datus, but  a  dozen  more,  declared  that  his  helmet,  corselet 
and  the  plates  of  his  kilt-straps,  were  of  ungilded,  unchased, 
plain  steel,  not  even  bright  with  polishing,  but  tarnished,  all 
but  rusty,  with  exposure  to  rain,  mist  and  sun ;  his  plume  and 
cloak  rain-faded  and  sun-faded  till  their  crimson  showed 
almost  brown;  his  scabbard  plain,  dingy  leather;  his  saddle 
of  similar  cheap,  durable  leather,  his  saddle-cloth  of  a  crimson 
faded  as  brown  as  his  cloak  and  plume.  This  was  precisely 
the  Spartan  simplicity  which  Aurelius,  as  more  than  half  a 
Stoic,  had  always  affected,  partly  from  an  innate  tendency 
towards  self-restraint  and  modesty,  partly  that  his  example 
might,  at  first,  offset  the  sumptuosity  of  Verus  and,  after  his 
death,  might  inculcate,  by  example,  economy  in  his  lavish 
and  self-indulgent  retinue. 


THE  EMPEROR  345 

Whatever  the  motive,  by  this  semi-histrionic  effort  at  self- 
effacement  the  Emperor  made  himself  tenfold  conspicuous 
among  his  staff-officers,  whose  plumes,  cloaks,  kilts,  and  saddle- 
cloths blazed  with  crimson,  green  and  gold,  blue  and  silver 
and  even  crimson  and  gold. 

Commodus,  in  any  gear,  was  not  only  a  tall,  well-knit, 
impressive  figure  of  a  man,  but,  in  his  most  negligent  moods, 
he  had  something  about  him  dominating,  masterful,  princely 
and  Imperial.  The  sight  of  him  cowed  all  who  could  then 
gee  him.  Steadily  he  eyed  them  as  they  finished  their  tumul- 
tuary deployment  and  pressed  forward  to  see  and  hear. 
When  they  were  packed  as  closely  as  possible  till  no  more 
could  get  within  earshot  he  spoke: 

"Fellow  soldiers,  what  does  this  mean?" 

All  were  too  awed  at  the  sight  of  their  venerated  Caesar 
for  any  man  to  speak  up  at  once  and  the  Emperor  repeated : 

"Fellow-soldiers,  what  does  this  mean?  Tell  me,  I  am 
your  fellow-soldier/' 

Then  Sextius  Baculus  himself  replied,  choking  and  hesi- 
tating, quailing  before  his  lord: 

"We  are  your  loyal  soldiers  from  Britain;  a  deputation 
come  afoot  and  afloat  almost  two  thousand  miles  to  warn 
you  of  what  no  man  in  Rome,  for  fear  of  you  more  than  of 
your  treacherous  Prefect,  dares  to  warn  you.  Perennis  is 
no  fit  guardian  of  your  safety;  in  fact  he  is  of  all  men  most 
•unfit.  For  more  than  two  years  now  he  has  been  laying  hia 
plans  to  have  you  assassinated,  and  to  make  Emperor  in  your 
place  his  eldest  son,  the  darling  of  the  Illyrian  legionaries. 
"We  have  come  to  save  you,  foil  him  and  see  him  and  his 
dead." 

"Fellow-soldiers,"  the  Emperor  spoke  at  once,  loudly  and 
clearly,  "I  acclaim  your  purpose  and  welcome  your  good 
intentions.  But  I  mean  to  prove  to  you  that  I  am  in  fact 
as  well  as  in  title  Tribune  and  Prince  of  the  Republic,  Em- 
peror of  its  armies,  Augustus  and  Caesar.  Your  solicitude  I 
applaud,  but  I  feel  better  able  to  take  care  of  myself  than 
can  any  other  man  save  myself.  I  fear  no  man  and  appoint 
no  man  I  distrust.  I  distrust  few  men  after  appointment. 


844  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

You  lodge  a  grave  charge  against  a  man  I  have  trusted, 
appointed  and  then  trusted.  I  condemn  few  men  unheard. 
As  your  Imperator  I  command  you  to  camp  where  my  legates 
indicate,  to  eat  a  hearty  noon  meal,  to  sleep,  or  at  least  rest 
in  your  tents,  two  full  hours.  About  the  tenth  hour  of  the 
day  I  shall  return,  my  trusty  guards  ahout  me  and  Perennis 
himself  in  my  retinue.  From  the  platform  of  your  camp, 
as  a  chief  commander  should,  I  will  harangue  you,  and 
from  that  platform,  after  he  has  heard  from  me  your  ac- 
cusation, my  Prefect  of  the  Prsetorium  shall  make  to  you 
his  defense.  After  he  has  spoken  you  shall  hear  me  deliver 
just  and  impartial  judgment,  a  judgment  no  man  of  you  can 
but  accept  as  fair  and  righteous. 

"And  now  farewell,  until  the  tenth  hour." 

At  which  word  he  had  reined  up,  wheeled  and  spurred  his 
mettlesome  mount  and  thereupon  vanished  with  his  staff 
in  a  cloud  of  dust,  at  full  gallop. 

According  to  the  Emperor's  behest  we  rested  in  our  tents 
after  the  centurions  had  each  harangued  his  men.  But  if 
any  slept,  it  was  a  marvel.  All  were  too  excited  to  sleep  and 
every  tent,  as  far  as  I  could  learn,  talked  without  cessation. 
By  the  tenth  hour,  when  the  sun  was  visibly  declining  and 
the  warmth  of  the  midday  abating,  we  were  all  assembled  in 
the  camp-square,  the  men  helmeted  and  with  their  swords 
at  their  sides,  but  without  shields  or  spears. 

It  was  perfectly  in  keeping  with  the  inconsistency  of  the 
mutineers  that  the  crowd  of  men  in  the  camp-square,  instead 
of  being  marshalled  by  centuries  under  their  sergeants,  was 
allowed  to  assemble  mob-fashion  as  each  man  came  and 
pushed.  Thus  Agathemer  and  I,  who  should  have  been  pre- 
paring to  cook  our  company's  evening  meal,  were  not  only 
in  the  throng,  but  well  forward  among  the  men  and,  in  fact, 
pressed  legs  and  chests  against  the  legs  and  backs  of  two 
veterans  not  far  from  the  rearmost  centurions  of  the  gather- 
ing of  sergeants,  not  sixty  feet  from  the  platform,  and  nearly 
opposite  its  middle,  though  a  little  to  the  left.  Few  veteran 
privates  heard  and  saw  better  than  we. 

When  the  Imperial  co^iege  arrived  and  the  platform  began 


THE  EMPEROR  345 

to  fill,  we  two,  like  the  men  around  us  and  like,  I  feel  sure, 
the  entire  gathering,  were  amazed  to  see  among  the  men  four 
women,  and  Agathemer  and  I  were  doubly  amazed  to  recog- 
nize one  as  Marcia.  Agathemer,  who  knew  the  former  slaves 
and  present  freedwomen  of  the  Palace  far  better  than  I, 
whispered  that  the  others  were  the  sister  and  wife  of  Peren- 
nis  and  the  wife  of  Oleander,  like  him  a  former  slave  and 
pampered  freedman,  and  for  long  his  rival. 

The  platform,  of  course,  was  lined  and  partly  filled  with 
aides,  lictors,  equerries,  pages,  and  other  Imperial  satellites 
before  the  Emperor  rode  up,  dismounted  and  appeared  among 
his  retinue.  He  strode  springily  to  the  front  and  seated  him- 
self on  the  crimson  cushion  of  the  ivory  curule  seat  which  a 
lictor  placed  for  him.  Marcia,  to  my  tenfold  amazement, 
then  seated  herself  on  a  not  dissimilar  maple  folding-seat, 
spread  for  her  by  a  page.  She  was  placed  at  the  very  front 
of  the  platform,  next  him  on  his  right.  Next  her  was  Olean- 
der's wife,  also,  to  my  still  greater  amazement,  similarly 
seated,  as  were  the  two  almost  as  ornately  clad  ladies  with 
Perennis,  who  sat  on  his  left,  he  standing  to  the  left  of  the 
Emperor,  who  was  set  only  a  short  yard  in  advance  of  the 
row  of  officials  and  intimates  who  lined  the  front  of  the 
platform. 

Until  all  who  had  a  right  to  places  on  the  platform  had 
mounted  it  and  each  had  stationed  himself  in  his  proper 
position,  the  Emperor  sat  quietly  regarding  the  mob  of  men 
facing  him,  eyeing  us  keenly  and  steadily.  An  equerry 
leaned  over  and  whispered  to  him  and  he  stood  up.  I  could 
feel  the  men  thrill,  even  more  positively  than  they  had 
thrilled  when  he  appeared  from  among  his  retinue.  I  con- 
jectured, instantly,  that  he  had  felt,  if  not  an  actual  dread 
of  the  mutineers,  at  least  a  doubt  as  to  his  ability  to  quell 
them  and  a  need  for  all  possible  adventitious  aids.  Thus  I 
explained  to  myself  his  having  donned,  that  morning,  trap- 
pings such  as  his  father  had  worn  on  frontier  campaigns, 
apparently  with  the  purpose  of  eliciting  the  sympathies  of 
the  men. 

He  now  wore  a  gilded  helmet,  elaborately  chased,  and  its 


346  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

crest  a  carved  Chimsera  spouting  golden  flames,  which  golden 
spout  of  flames,  with  the  Chimaera's  wings,  formed  the  sup- 
port from  which  waved  his  crimson  plume,  all  of  brilliantly 
dyed  ostrich  feathers.  His  corselet  was  similarly  gilded  or, 
perhaps,  like  the  helmet,  even  of  pure  gold  hammered  and 
chased,  adorned  with  depictions  of  the  battles  of  the  gods 
and  giants  above,  and  below  with  Trajan's  victories  over 
the  Parthians.  His  kilt-straps  were  of  crimson  leather, 
plated  with  gilt  or  gold  overlapping  scales.  His  cloak  was 
of  the  newest  and  most  brilliant  Imperial  crimson.  The  plat- 
form was  so  high  that  I  could  clearly  see  his  shapely  calves 
and  the  gold  eagles  embroidered  on  the  sky-blue  soft  leather 
of  his  half-boots.  In  his  hand  he  held  a  short  baton  or 
truncheon,  such  as  all  field-commanders  carry  as  an  emblem 
of  independent  command,  such  as  I  had  seen  at  Tegulata 
in  the  hand  of  Pescennius  Niger.  It  was  gilded  or  gold- 
plated  and  its  ends  were  chased  pine-cones  Manifestly  every 
detail  of  his  habiting  had  been  meticulously  considered  and 
the  total  effect  carefully  calculated.  Certainly  he  was  not 
only  handsome  and  winsome,  but  dignified  and  imposing, 
truly  a  princely  and  Imperial  figure.  Evidently  he  had  cal- 
culatingly  arrayed  himself  so  as  to  appear  at  one  and  the 
same  time  as  Emperor  and  as  a  field-commander.  The  effect 
on  the  men,  if  I  could  judge,  was  all  he  had  wished,  all  he 
could  have  hoped  for.  He  dominated  the  mob  of  men  as  he 
dominated  the  platform. 

There  was  no  need  of  his  wave  of  the  arm  enjoining  silence. 
The  silence,  from  his  first  movement  as  he  rose,  was  as  com- 
plete as  possible. 

"Fellow-soldiers,"  he  said,  and  he  spoke  as  well  as  the  most 
practiced  orator,  audibly  to  all,  smoothly  and  charmingly, 
"you  have  come  from  Britain  across  the  sea,  across  Gaul, 
across  the  Alps,  and  half  the  length  of  Italy,  with  the  best 
intentions,  with  the  sincerest  hearts,  to  apprize  me  of  danger 
to  me  in  my  own  Palace,  danger  unsuspected  by  me,  as  you 
believe.  Your  loyalty,  your  good  intentions,  your  sincerity 
I  realize  and  rejoice  over.  But  I  find  it  hard  to  believe 
that  any  soldiers  in  distant  frontier  garrisons  can  be  better 


THE  EMPEROR  347 

informed  than  the  Prince  himself  of  what  goes  on  in  Italy, 
in  Rome,  in  the  very  Palace.  You  have  lodged  the  gravest 
accusations  against  one  of  my  most  important  and  most 
trusted  officials.  I  shall  now  state  your  charges,  that  the 
accused  man  may  hear  them  now  for  the  first  time  from 
my  own  lips  and  may  here  and  now  make  his  defence  to  you 
and  to  me." 

He  paused.  My  eyes  had  heen  on  Commodus  and  now, 
shifted  to  Perennis.  Perennis  was  a  handsome  man,  but  in 
spite  of,  rather  than  because  of,  his  build  and  features.  Even 
through  the  splendid  trappings  of  Prefect  of  the  Pratorium 
he  appeared  too  tall  and  too  thin,  his  neck  was  too  long,  hia 
face  too  long,  his  ears  too  big,  his  long  nose  overhung  hia 
upper  lip.  He  was  impressive  and  capable  looking  but  ap- 
peared too  crafty,  too  foxy.  I  felt  sure  that  he  had  not  the 
least  suspicion  of  what  was  coming.  He  looked  all  vanity, 
gelf-satisfaction  and  vainglorious  self-sufficiency. 

"Fellow-soldiers/'  the  Emperor  went  on,  "you  charge  that 
my  Prefect  of  the  Praetorium  is  not  loyal,  but  is  most  treach- 
erous; that  he  has  been,  for  more  than  two  years,  plotting 
my  death  and  the  elevation  to  the  Principiate  of  his  eldest 
son,  now  Procurator  of  Illyricum.  As  he  has  now  heard  the 
charge,  so  you  shall  now  hear  the  defense  of  my  Prefect 
of  the  Praetorium." 

I  must  say  that  Perennis,  though  manifestly  thunderstruck, 
kept  his  senses,  kept  his  self-command  and,  after  a  brief 
instant  in  which  he  paled,  swayed  and  seemed  utterly  dazed, 
rose  to  the  occasion.  For  that  brief  instant  he  appeared  as 
overcome  as  his  horrified  wife  and  sister,  who  all  but  fainted 
on  their  seats;  as  his  horrified  sons,  who  stood,  agape,  dead- 
pale,  one  by  his  white-faced  mother,  and  the  other  by  hia 
incredulous  aunt. 

Perennis,  certainly,  gathered  himself  together  promptly, 
got  himself  under  full  control,  had  all  his  wits  about  him 
and  made  a  perfectly  conceived,  finely  delivered,  coherent, 
logical,  telling  speech  in  his  own  defence.  It  was  long,  but 
nowhere  diffuse,  and  it  held  the  attention  manifestly,  not 
only  of  the  mutineers,  but  of  the  Emperor  himself,  and  of 


348  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

all  his  retinue,  even  the  most  vacuous  of  the  mere  courtiers. 
As  he  ended  it,  it  was  plain  that  Perennis  believed  he  had 
cleared  himself  completely  and  had  not  only  vindicated 
himself  before  his  master,  but  had  convinced  the  mutineers 
of  his  guiltlessness  and  loyalty.  His  expression  of  face,  as  he 
wound  up  his  eloquent  peroration,  was  that  of  a  man  who,  un- 
expectedly to  himself,  transmounts  insuperable  difficulties 
and  triumphs. 

Confidently  he  turned  to  Commodus;  smiling  and  at  ease, 
he  awaited  his  decision.  The  Emperor  stood  up,  more  dom- 
inating, if  possible,  than  before. 

"Fellow-soldiers,"  he  said,  "watch  me  closely  and  listen 
carefully.  What  I  do  shall  be  as  significant  as  what  I  say. 
I  have  pondered  your  charges  since  you  made  them  this  morn- 
ing. In  my  mind  I  have  run  over  all  that  I  knew  of  this 
man's  doings  and  sayings  since  I  made  him  the  guardian  of 
my  personal  safety.  I  have  let  him  hear  your  charges  from 
my  own  lips  and,  like  you,  I  have  listened  patiently  to  his 
brilliant  and  able  speech  in  his  own  defence.  I  am  Prince 
of  the  Republic  and  Emperor  of  its  armies,  to  favor  no  man, 
to  do  and  speak  impartial  justice  to  all  men  alike. 

"You  know  what  happens  to  the  shirker  who  sleeps  on  his 
post  when  on  sentry-duty  about  a  camp  at  night  in  the  face 
of  the  enemy.  If  guilty  of  what  you  charge  any  Prefect  of 
the  Praetorium  deserves  not  otherwise  than  such  a  traitor. 
I  have  heard  all  this  man  has  to  say.  I  did  not  believe  you 
this  morning.  I  do  not  disbelieve  you  now.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve this  man,  I  believe  he  has  been  treacherous  and  that  in 
his  dexterous  defence  just  now  he  lied.  Watch  me!  I  turn 
him  over  to  you/' 

And,  with  a  really  magnificent  gesture,  he  stepped  half  a 
pace  away  from  Perennis,  stretched  out  his  left  arm,  the 
golden  baton  in  his  hand,  and,  with  that  fatal  truncheon, 
touched  him  on  the  shoulder. 

The  roar  that  rose  was  the  roar  of  wild  beasts  ravening 
for  their  prey.  The  men,  packed  as  they  were,  somehow 
surged  forward.  On  the  shoulders  of  their  fellow-centurions, 
a  sort  of  billow  of  the  foremost  sergeants  rose  like  surf 


THE  EMPEROR  349 

against  a  rock;  like  surf  breaking  against  a  rock  a  sort  of 
foam  of  them  overflowed  the  front  of  the  platform.  For  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  I  beheld  above  this  rising  tide  of  execu- 
tioners the  imperious  dignity  of  the  Emperor,  master  of 
the  scene,  self-confident  and  certain  that  all  men  would 
approve  of  his  decision,  magnificent  in  his  military  trappings; 
the  incredulous  amazement  of  Perennis,  his  pale,  watery  blue 
eyes  bleared  in  his  lead-colored,  bloodless  face,  as  he  stood 
dazed  and  numb ;  the  horror  of  his  bedizened  wife  and  sister, 
both  fleshy  women,  dark-skinned  and  normally  red-cheeked, 
now  gray  with  despair,  like  the  two  wretched  lads  beside  them ; 
the  cruelly  feminine  relish,  as  upon  the  successful  fruition 
of  long  and  tortuous  intrigues,  blazoned  on  the  faces  of 
Marcia  and  of  Oleander's  wife,  a  very  showy  woman  with 
golden  hair,  violet  eyes  and  a  delicately  pink  and  white  com- 
plexion: a  similar  expression  of  relished  triumph  on  the 
broad,  fat,  ruddy  face  of  her  big  husband,  who  looked  just 
what  he  had  been;  a  man  who  had  started  life  as  a  slave; 
whose  master  had  thought  him  likely  to  be  most  profitably 
employed  as  a  street  porter,  in  which  capacity  he  had  for 
years  carried  packs,  crates,  bales,  chests,  rafters  and  such 
like  immensely  heavy  loads  long  distances  and  had  thriven 
on  his  exertions ;  who,  whatever  brains  he  had  since  displayed, 
however  much  character  and  merit  had  contributed  to  his 
dazzling  rise  in  life,  had  retained  and  still  possessed  a  hearty 
appetite,  a  perfect  digestion,  mighty  muscles,  hard  and  solid, 
all  over  his  hulking  frame,  and  the  vast  strength  of  his  early 
prime;  all  these  chief  actors  framed  against  a  background 
of  gaudily  caparisoned  officers  and  courtiers. 

In  scarcely  more  than  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  Perennis 
was  seized  by  four  brawny  frontier  sergeants  and  hurled  down 
among  the  men,  among  whom  he  vanished  like  a  lynx  under 
a  pack  of  dogs.  I  caught  no  afterglimpse  of  him  nor  of 
his  frayed  corpse ;  I  descried  only  a  sort  of  whirlpool  of  active 
men  about  the  spot  where  he  had,  as  it  were,  sunk  into  their 
vortex. 

When  the  flailing  arms  ceased  flailing  and  the  panting  ex- 
ecutioners stood  quiet,  the  Emperor  stretched  out  his  right 


850  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

hand  for  silence ;  the  rumbling  snarls  and  growls  of  the  mob 
abated  till  silence  reigned.  Into  it  he  spoke: 

"You  know  the  custom  of  our  fathers  since  ISTuma.  The 
family  of  a  traitor  is  abolished  with  him." 

There  came  a  second  roar  of  the  ravening,  ferocious  men, 
a  second  surge  of  the  foremost  up  the  face  of  the  platform, 
and,  instantly,  the  sons,  wife  and  sister  of  Perennis  were 
pushed  from  it,  cast  down  among  the  mob,  and  never  reap- 
peared. After  the  mob  quieted  a  second  time  Commodus 
again  raised  his  hand  for  silence.  Quicker  than  before  the 
men  were  still.  He  spoke  loud  and  clear: 

"You  have  saved  me  from  a  treacherous  Prefect  of  the 
Prsetorium.  I  have  meditated  whom  to  appoint  to  his  vacant 
post.  I  have  considered  well.  I  now  present  him  to  you; 
my  faithful  henchman,  Oleander  of  Mazaca,  who,  by  his  own 
deserts,  has  won  citizenship  in  the  Republic,  equestrian  rank 
and  my  favor  and  gratitude.'5 

The  mob  cheered. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  MASSACRE 

RETROSPECTIVELY,  Oleander  is  talked  of,  if  at  aU, 
chiefly  as  having  been  brutish,  dull,  stupid,  venal,  avari- 
cious and  cruel.  Cruel  and  avaricious  he  certainly  became; 
venal  and  brutish  he  certainly  seemed;  but  dull  or  stupid  I 
cannot  admit  that  he  ever  was.  Indubitably,  at  the  time  of 
his  appointment  to  be  Prefect  of  the  Prsetorium,  he  pos- 
sessed some  qualities  fitting  him,  as  he  later  was,  to  be  en- 
trusted by  his  self-indulgent  master  with  the  administration 
of  the  whole  Empire.  Certainly  he  was  quick-thinking, 
prompt,  ingenious,  incredibly  persuasive,  resolute  and  ruth- 
less, which  qualities  go  far  towards  equipping  a  ruler.  With- 
out these  characteristics  he  could  not  have  conceived  or 
adopted  the  plan  which  he  successfully  executed. 

Commodus  caught  Oleander's  eye,  nodded  to  him  and  sat 


THE  MASSACRE  351 

down.  Confident  and  smiling1,  Cleander  stepped  forward  to 
the  platform's  railing  and  addressed  us. 

"As  Prefect  of  the  Praetorium,  I  am  charged  with  the  care 
of  the  personal  safety  of  our  Prince  in  his  Palace,  in  the 
City  and  wherever  he  may  be.  Among  measures  for  his  per- 
sonal safety  I  rate  high  the  maintenance  of  discipline  and 
loyalty  among  his  frontier  garrisons  or  their  reestablishment 
if  impaired.  By  his  command  you  are  to  return  speedily 
whence  you  came  and  tell  your  fellows  of  the  complete  success 
of  your  mission.  I  must  be  sure  that  your  report  will  satisfy 
them,  that  you  set  out  on  your  return  fully  satisfied  your- 
selves. Are  you  satisfied  ?  I  ask  your  senior  sergeant  to  act 
as  spokesman.  After  he  has  spoken  I  shall  give  all  who  de- 
sire it  the  opportunity  to  speak." 

Sextius  Baculus  at  once  replied  that  they  were  not  satis- 
fied while  the  post  of  Procurator  of  Illyricum  was  held  by 
the  eldest  son  of  Perennis,  or  while  he  held  any  office,  or,  in 
fact,  while  he  was  alive. 

Cleander,  in  a  loud,  far-carrying  voice,  apprized  the  entire 
assemblage  of  what  Baculus  had  said,  and  replied  to  him: 

"From  now  on  I  am  in  charge  of  all  matters  pertaining 
to  the  personal  safety  of  Caesar,  including  the  apprehension 
and  execution  of  all  traitors  and  potential  traitors.  You 
may  rely  implicitly  on  me  without  suggestions  from  anyone 
to  take  all  measures  which  may  be  necessary  in  all  such  cases. 
In  this  case  you  may  feel  assured  that  I  have  already  ini- 
tiated measures  which  will  infallibly  lead  to  the  traitor's  re- 
turn to  Italy,  without  any  unsettlement  of  the  loyalty  of  the 
Illyrian  garrisons,  to  his  being  quietly  arrested  and  as  quietly 
executed.  Are  you  satisfied?" 

The  answer  was  a  roar  of  cheers,  roar  after  roar.  When 
the  cheering  subsided  Cleander,  three  separate  times,  urged 
anyone  who  wished  to  speak  up.  No  man  spoke.  Then  he 
said: 

"I  am  commissioned  by  Caesar  to  repeat  to  you  explicitly 
what  he  has  himself  partly  expressed  to  you  twice  today: 
his  appreciation  of  your  fealty  and  good  intentions,  his  thanks 
for  your  good  order  on  your  march  from  Britain  and  for 


352  ANDIVIUS  H&DULIO 

your  having  saved  him  from  unsuspected  peril,  and  his 
gratitude.  But  please  take  note  and  remember  that  Caesar 
specially  commissions  me  to  say  to  you  that  no  similar  depu- 
tation from  Britain  or  from  anywhere  else  will  ever  be  per- 
mitted to  reach  Kome,  to  enter  Italy  or  even  to  set  out 
from  the  posts  assigned  to  its  members.  Any  attempt  at 
such  a  deputation  will  be  treated,  not  as  well-meant  effort 
to  help  our  Sovereign,  but  as  sacrilegious  rebellion  against 
him. 

"Also  please  note  that,  whereas  he  has  accepted  your  advice 
and  acted  upon  it,  any  further  expression  of  advice  from 
any  of  you  or  any  future  attempt  of  any  legionaries  to  ad- 
vise the  Emperor  will  be  regarded  as  an  unbearable  act  of 
insolence  and  presumption  and  dealt  with  as  such.  Caesar 
commands  you  to  be  silent  and  obey. 

"Through  me  he  notifies  you  that  your  stay  at  Eome  is  to 
be  short,  that  you  are,  within  a  few  days,  under  officers  ap- 
pointed by  him,  to  set  out  on  your  return  march  to  your  Gallic 
port,  there  to  reembark  for  Britain,  there  to  guard  the 
frontier  or  keep  order  in  the  provinces.  As  a  preparation 
for  your  return  march  he  bids  you  rest  and  feast;  and,  that 
all  may  feast,  he  has  lavishly  provided  food  and  wine,  which 
you  will  find  ready  at  your  quarters,  and  with  that  provision 
an  ample  force  of  cooks  and  servitors  to  prepare  and  distribute 
your  banquet.  Caesar  now  goes  to  dine  and  bids  you  disperse 
to  dine.  I  have  spoken  for  Caesar.  Obey !" 

Less  heartily,  perhaps,  but  universally,  this  haughty  speech 
was  responded  to  by  loud,  tumultuous  and  long-lasting  cheers. 
More  cheers  saluted  the  Emperor  when  he  stood  up  and  fol- 
lowed him  till  he  had  vanished  with  his  retinue,  at  full 
gallop.  The  men  even  continued  to  cheer  until  Oleander's 
wife  and  Marcia  had  entered  their  gilded  carriages  and  been 
driven  off  in  the  wake  of  the  Imperial  cortege. 

Our  evening  meal  was  truly,  as  Oleander  had  called  it,  a 
feast  and  a  banquet.  When  we  reached  our  quarters  the 
food  was  ready  and  just  ready  and  our  repast  began  at  once. 
It  was  calculated,  in  every  particular,  to  induce  gluttonous 
gorging  and  guzzling.  Before  our  hunger  was  really  satis- 


THE  MASSACRE  35$ 

fied,  before  we  had  more  than  barely  begun  to  drinL  the 
temptingly  excellent  wine,  Agathemer  whispered  in  Greek: 

"This  banquet  is  an  attempt  to  make  all  of  us  sleep  far 
too  soundly.  Every  man  of  us  will  be  surfeited  with  food 
and  fuddled  with  wine.  You  and  I  must  be  exceptions.  Be 
sure  to  eat  less  than  you  want  and  to  make  a  mere  show  of 
drinking.  We  must  keep  awake." 

We  did,  and,  in  our  tent,  discussed  in  whispers  our  situ- 
ation. 

"North  of  Nuceria,"  Agathemer  said,  "I  judged  that  we 
should  be  safer  by  ourselves  than  with  these  fools  and  rabble, 
but  they  kept  such  close  watch  on  us  that  the  risks  of  escape 
were  too  great.  South  of  Narnia  I  have  judged  us  better 
off  where  we  were  than  if  wandering  alone.  Now  whatever 
the  risks  of  an  attempt  to  escape,  whatever  the  perils  we  may 
encounter  if  we  escape,  try  to  escape  we  must.  I  have  an 
intuition  that  this  camp  is,  tonight,  the  most  dangerous  spot 
in  all  Italy/' 

We  peered  out  of  the  tent  at  intervals;  without  hindrance 
or  danger,  for  our  tent-mates  were  utterly  asleep.  The  night 
was  windless  and  warm.  A  moon,  more  than  half  full,  rose 
about  midnight  and,  as  it  climbed  the  sky,  shed  a  pearly 
light  through  a  veil  of  mist  which  deepened  and  thickened. 
Near  the  ground  the  mist  was  so  thick  that  it  made  escape 
easy,  though  blundering  likely. 

We  tried  to  judge  our  time  so  as  to  start  a  full  hour  be- 
fore the  first  streak  of  dawn.  We  traversed  unhindered  a 
camp  sunk  in  sleep,  where  we  heard  no  sound  but  crapulous 
snorings.  Northward,  towards  the  Mulvian  Bridge,  we 
eneaked  out  into  the  tomb-lined  meadows.  Through  or  above 
the  dense  fog  we  could  spy  the  pinnacles  of  several  vast  and 
ambitious  mausoleums  glittering  in  the  moon-rays. 

We  were  not  a  hundred  yards  from  the  camp  when  I  dimly 
perceived  ahead  of  us  through  the  fog  something  like  a  wall 
or  stockade  about  two  yards  high.  A  step  or  two  further, 
at  the  same  moment  at  which  I  made  out  that  it  was  a  ser- 
ried rank  of  helmetted  men,  a  challenge  rang  out,  sharp  and 
peremptory. 


854  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Instantaneously  we  dropped  on  our  hands  and  knees  and 
crawled  back  to  camp. 

"I  told  you  I  had  a  suspicion  that  this  was  a  dangerous 
locality,"  Agathemer  whispered  when  we  had  stood  up  and 
gotten  our  breath.  "Those  were  regular  infantry  of  some 
sort.  We  can  only  hope  that  they  are  on  that  side  only. 
Let's  try  towards  Kome." 

There,  at  about  the  same  distance  we  were  similarly  chal- 
lenged. 

In  camp  again  Agathemer  said: 

"Those  were  Praetorian  infantrymen,  and  they  were  stand- 
ing shoulder  to  shoulder.  This  looks  bad.  But  I  believe  in 
taking  every  possible  chance.  Let's  try  towards  the  road." 

Eastwards  also  we  encountered  the  like  obstacle. 

Back  we  crawled  unpursued.  As  we  skurried  through  the 
snoring  camp,  unperceived  by  the  sodden  sleepers,  Agathemer 
said,  aloud: 

"This  looks  increasingly  bad.  The  Praetorians  are  stand- 
ing with  interlocked  elbows;  they  look  unpleasantly  like 
samples  of  a  complete  cordon  round  the  camp.  The  mounted 
Praetorians  are  behind  them  not  two  horse-lengths  and  less 
than  that  apart.  I  divined  some  sort  of  troops  massed  be* 
hind  the  cavalrymen.  I  feel  frightened." 

Out  we  raced  towards  the  broad  Tiber,  towards  it  we  crept 
through  fog  across  the  meadow.  Again  we  were  challenged. 
The  cordon  was,  apparently,  complete. 

As  we  regained  the  camp  Agathemer  said : 

"If  we  are  to  escape  alive  we  need  all  our  craft,  and  we 
must  be  quick." 

We  sprinted,  not  to  our  quarters,  but  to  those  of  the  British 
veterans.  Into  each  tent  we  peered. 

Every  tent  was  empty! 

Agathemer,  plainly,  felt  in  a  desperate  hurry,  yet  he 
took  time  to  glance  into  the  most  of  the  hundred  and  fifty 
tents,  tearing  along  past  the  lines  of  them.  He  also  took 
time,  after  our  brief  inspection  was  finished,  to  pause,  get  his 
breath  and  say: 


THE  MASSACRE  355 

"This  looks  worse  than  bad.  I  miss  my  guess  if  many  of 
these  slumberers  wake  alive.  Strip  I" 

We  stripped  of  everything  except  our  amulet  bags. 

Then,  at  full  run,  stark  naked,  our  unsheathed  sheath- 
knives  in  our  hands,  we  raced  through  the  fog,  now  glim- 
mering with  the  first  forehint  of  coming  dawn,  along  the  in- 
ner edge  of  the  veterans'  tents,  till  we  were  opposite  the 
quarters  of  the  tumultuary  century  formed  from  the  out- 
pourings of  the  ergastulum  at  Nuceria. 

Into  one  of  the  veterans'  tents  we  went. 

"Knife  in  teeth  I"  said  Agathemer. 

The  tents  were  lavishly  provided  with  unsoldierly  com- 
forts, a  double  allowance  of  blankets  and  mattresses  stuffed 
with  dried  reeds  or  sedge.  Motioning  me  to  help,  Agathemer 
doubled  a  mattress  and  pressed  on  it  till  it  lay  so.  Then  he 
doubled  another  and  set  it  so  that  the  two  were  about  a  yard 
apart,  with  their  folds  towards  each  other.  Another  pair  he 
set  similarly  so  that  the  interval  between  the  folds  was  over 
two  yards  long.  Then  we  roofed  the  interval,  so  to  speak, 
with  two  mattresses  laid  flat,  and  laid  two  more  on  each 
of  these.  Not  yet  satisfied  Agathemer  led  me  out  four  times 
to  drag  in,  from  the  near-by  tents,  mattresses,  two  of  which 
we  laid  lengthwise  over  the  triple  mattress-roof,  the  others 
we  heaped  over  the  end  of  the  roofed  tunnel  furthest  from 
the  opening  of  the  tent. 

Then  we  went  outside  yet  again  and  cut  the  ropes  of  the 
two  adjacent  tents  and  of  the  one  above  the  pile  of  mat- 
tresses. We  threw  our  knives  far  away  and  bunched  up 
the  collapsed  canvas  of  that  tent  so  that  it  formed  a  sort 
of  continuation  of  the  mattress-roofed  tunnel.  Then  we 
crawled,  feet  first,  into  the  tunnel,  taking  with  us  two  full 
water-bottles  which  Agathemer  had  found  in  one  of  the  tents 
and  a  quarter  loaf  of  bread,  left  over  from  the  banquet.  It 
smelt  appetizing. 

We  wriggled  into  the  tunnel  side  by  side,  until  our  heads 
were  well  under  the  mattress-roof.  We  could  see  out  under 
the  huddled,  crumpled  canvas.  Full  in  our  limited  view 


356  ANDIVIUS  HEDIILIO 

lay,  in  the  middle  of  the  camp  street,  a  fat  Nucerian,  the 
outline  of  his  big  chest  and  prominent  paunch  dimly  visible 
in  the  increasing  light.  His  gurgling  snores  were  plainly 
audible. 

Agathemer  broke  off  two  fragments  of  the  bread  and  we 
munched  ruminatively. 

We  had  hardly  swallowed  three  mouthfuls  when  Agathemer 
exclaimed : 

"Just  in  time!    I  can  hear  the  arrows  already!    Listen!" 

We  listened.  I  could  hear  a  sound  as  of  hail  on  roofs. 
And,  just  above  us,  I  could  hear  the  arrows  plunge  into  our 
protecting  mound  with  a  swishing,  rending  thud. 

"We  ought  to  be  safe,"  Agathemer  whispered.  "But  we 
may  get  skewered  even  as  we  are.  Volleyed  arrows  drive 
deep." 

I  heard  many  a  volley  and,  after  the  first,  since  I  was 
listening  for  it,  I  heard  faintly  before  each  volley  the  deep 
boom  of  thousands  of  powerful  bows,  twanging  all  at  the 
same  instant. 

As  the  light  increased  I  could  see  the  drunken  Nucerian 
with  his  hummocky  outline  emphasized  by  five  feathered 
arrows  planted  in  his  body.  He  must  have  been  killed  by 
any  of  the  five. 

When  we  saw  living  men  pass  across  our  outlook,  their  legs 
looked  like  those  of  some  sort  of  foreign  auxiliaries.  I  made 
the  conjecture,  from  their  movements,  that  they  were  killing 
the  merely  wounded.  Certainly,  one  of  them  drove  his  long 
sword  through  the  prostrate,  arrow-skewered  Nucerian;  and, 
sometime  later,  another,  with  quite  a  different  type  of  leg- 
coverings,  did  the  like. 

After  daylight  we  saw  pass  by  the  legs  of  many  Praetorian 
infantrymen  and  of  some  cavalrymen.  From  the  second' 
hour  we  saw  only  legs  of  some  novel  sort  of  regular  soldiery 
whose  trappings  neither  of  us  could  recognize. 

It  grew  hot  in  our  hiding  place.  We  talked  in  whispers; 
vrhile  talking  we  seemed  more  indifferent  to  the  heat. 

Agathemer  said: 

"All  this  must  have  been  planned  beforehand  and  care 


THE  MASSACRE  357 

fully  and  very  skillfully  carried  out.  It  took  ingenuity, 
minutely  detailed  arrangements  and  great  skill  to  arrange 
that  banquet  so  as  to  get  all  the  tumultuary  additions  to 
the  deputation  surfeited  and  dead  drunk  and  yet  keep  the 
veteran  legionaries  near  enough  to  being  sober  to  be  waked 
up,  marshalled  and  marched  out.  And  it  took  amazing  elo- 
quence to  wheedle  their  centurions  into  abandoning  their 
invited  associates.  The  whole  thing  is  a  miracle.  I  can't 
see  through  it." 

I  may  interpolate  here,  what  I  learned  more  than  four 
years  later,  after  Oleander's  downfall  and  death  and  after 
my  return  from  Africa,  that  Agathemer's  conjectures,  as 
we  talked  the  matter  over  in  our  nook,  were  correct.  Peren- 
nis  had  formulated  the  plan  and  had  prepared  for  it  and 
given  the  preliminary  orders.  His  was  the  policy  of  allow- 
ing the  mutineers  to  march  all  the  way  to  Rome  unhindered. 
He,  without  consulting  the  Emperor  and  with  every  care  to 
prevent  him  from  suspecting  what  was  afoot,  imported  a 
thousand  archers  from  Crete,  and  as  many  mounted  bowmen 
from  Numidia,  from  Mauretania  and  from  Gaetulia.  He 
planned  the  banquet-feast,  he  made  arrangements  for  the 
cordon  of  Praetorians.  The  massacre  was  his  idea. 

Cleander  must  have  known  of  all  this;  he  could  not,  like 
Commodus,  be  kept  in  ignorance.  Either  before  he  came 
to  our  camp,  or,  perhaps,  in  his  elation  at  his  rival's  ruin, 
and  his  own  success,  he  adopted  the  ready  plan.  Most  likely 
the  separation  from  their  fellows  of  the  veteran  mutineers 
was  all  his  own  idea;  Perennis  was  not  the  man  to  carry 
out  so  bold  a  stroke  nor  so  much  as  to  conceive  of  it.  Indu- 
bitably, after  dark,  the  eighteen  veteran  sergeants  were  se- 
cretly called  to  a  meeting  with  Cleander.  The  fellow  must 
have  possessed  superhuman  powers  of  persuasion.  Certainly 
he  made  a  long  speech  in  which  he  convinced  the  leaders 
of  the  mutineers  that  their  having  associated  with  them- 
selves tumultuary  recruits  in  Gaul  and  the  liberated  in- 
mates of  ergastula  in  Italy  was  inconsistent  with  their  ex- 
pressed loyalty  to  Caesar  and  the  Commonwealth;  that  by 
such  action  they  had  gravely  imperilled  the  very  existence 


358  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  the  Republic  and  the  safety  of  their  Emperor.  He  won 
them  over  so  completely  that  they  acceded,  without  hesi- 
tation, to  his  dictum  that  they  ought  to  do  all  in  their  power 
to  repair  the  ill  effects  of  their  error  of  judgment;  that  the 
only  way  was  to  abandon  their  associates,  to  leave  them  for 
him  to  deal  with  and  to  march  with  all  speed  back  to  Britain 
to  reassure  their  fellow-insurgents  and  reclaim  Britain  to 
effective  loyalty. 

So  completely  were  they  under  his  spell  that  they  returned 
to  their  camp,  roused  their  men  without  waking  any  of  their 
tumultuary  associates,  and  marched  the  whole  body  of 
veterans,  in  the  night,  across  the  Mulvian  Bridge  and  on  all 
day  to  a  prepared  camp  near  Careiae,  where  they  spent  the 
night.  From  there  they  marched  in  two  days  the  forty- 
six  miles  to  Cosa;  whence  they  followed  the  Aurelian  road 
to  Marseilles,  as  we  had  ridden  it,  and  from  there  marched 
across  Gaul  to  Gessoriacum  and  shipped  for  Britain,  all  in 
half  the  time  in  which  they  had  come. 

Agathemer  and  I  spent  the  whole  day  in  our  hiding  place, 
suffering  terribly  from  the  heat,  for  the  day  was  hot,  muggy 
and  breezeless,  so  that  the  still  sultry  air  was  stifling.  We 
spared  our  water-bottles  and  made  their  contents  last.  Our 
bread  we  munched  relishingly  after  noon. 

Before  sunset  we  were  discovered  and  unearthed  by  some 
of  the  infantry  whose  trappings  were  unknown  to  us.  We 
found  out  later  that  they  belonged  to  the  newly-enlisted 
Viarii,  cohorts  created  from  picked  young  men  judged  agile, 
alert,  intelligent  and  loyal,  to  act  as  a  special  road-con- 
stabulary to  deal  with  robbers  and  especially  with  the  bands 
obeying  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen  and  with  him. 

Our  captors  did  not  treat  us  roughly,  though  they  bound 
our  hands  behind  us  effectually.  They  laughed  over  our 
device  for  escaping  the  arrows  and  commented  on  our  clever- 
ness. Our  amulet-bags  they  ignored,  being  more  interested 
in  our  brand-marks  and  scourge-scars.  Their  sergeant  asked 
us  where  we  were  from. 

"Do  you  think  it  likely,"  Agathemer  laughed,  "that  we 
would  tell  you;  can't  you  read  on  our  backs  that,  wherever 


THE  MASSACRE  359 

we  came  from  it  is  the  last  place  on  earth  we  want  to  go 
back  to?" 

The  sergeant  laughed  genially. 

"Mark  'em  'unidentified',"  he  ordered. 

They  clothed  us  in  tunics  innocent  of  any  blood-stains,  but 
which,  we  felt  sure,  had  been  taken  from  the  corpses  of  our 
late  associates. 

"Put  'em  with  the  rest,"  the  sergeant  ordered. 

With  the  rest,  some  three  hundred  survivors  out  of  more 
than  three  thousand  tumultuaries,  we  were  herded  inside  a 
convoy  of  constabulary  and  marched  in  the  dusk  and  dark 
to  our  former  camp  at  Kubra3.  There  we  were  liberally  fed 
on  what  was,  apparently,  the  leavings  from  the  entertain- 
ment afforded  the  mutineers  there  on  their  down-march. 

Next  morning  we  were  lined  up  and  inspected  by  a  su- 
perior officer  with  two  orderlies  and  two  secretaries.  As  he 
passed  down  the  rank  in  which  Agathemer  and  I  stood  he 
eyed  us  keenly.  After  a  time  he  returned  and  said: 

"These  two  rascals  are  trying  to  keep  together.  Separate 
them !" 

Thereafter  I  saw  no  more  of  Agathemer  for  over  four 
years. 

I  do  not  wish  to  dwell  on  my  wretchedness,  after  we 
were  parted.  Alone  among  riffraff,  I  was  very  miserable. 
I  mourned  for  the  faithful  fellow  and  knew  he  mourned  for 
me.  I  longed  for  him  as  keenly  as  if  he  had  been  my  twin- 
brother. 

I  and  my  fellows  were  marched  on  under  close  convoy,  up 
the  Flammian  Highway  and  the  batch  among  which  I  was, 
was  cast  into  the  ergastulum  at  Nuceria. 

There  I  passed  a  miserable  winter.  Our  prison  was  not 
unlike  the  ergastulum  at  Placentia;  ill-designed,  damp,  cold, 
filthy,  swarming  with  vermin  and  crowded  with  wretches  like 
myself.  I  was  despondent  in  my  loneliness  and  found  harder 
to  bear  my  shiverings,  my  fitful  half-sleep  in  my  foul  in- 
fested bunk,  the  horrible  food,  the  grinding  labor,  the  stripes 
and  blows  and  insults  of  the  guards  and  overseers  and  the 
jeers  of  my  inhuman  fellow-sufferers.  This  time  I  had  no 


360  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

chance  of  becoming  cook's-helper  or  of  easing  my  circum- 
stances in  any  other  manner.  I  spent  the  entire  winter 
haggard  for  sleep,  under  clad,  underfed,  overworked,  shiver- 
ing, beaten  and  abused. 

Conditions  in  that  ergastulum  were  more  than  amazing. 
It  was  so  utterly  mismanaged  that,  in  fact,  very  little  effective 
work  was  done,  though  the  inmates  were  roused  early,  set  to 
their  tasks  before  they  could  really  see,  lashed  all  day,  given 
but  a  very  brief  rest  at  noon  and  released  only  after  dusk. 
Half  the  prisoners  judiciously  directed  could  have  ground 
twice  as  much  grain.  As  it  was,  the  superintendent  and 
overseers  had  far  less  real  authority  than  a  sort  of  dictator 
elected  or  selected  or  tolerated  by  the  rabble.  He  had  a 
sort  of  senate  of  the  six  most  ruffianly  of  the  prisoners. 
These  seven  ruled  the  ergastulum  and  their  power  was  effect- 
ive for  overworking  and  underfeeding,  even  more  than  the 
generality,  those  whom  they  disliked,  and  for  diminishing 
the  labors  and  increasing  the  rations  of  their  favorites.  The 
existence  of  this  secret  government  among  the  rabble  was 
in  itself  astonishing,  its  methods  yet  more  so. 

Unlike  the  ergastulum  at  Placentia  the  watch  at  the  er- 
gastulum  at  Nuceria  was  very  lax  and  haphazard.  It  was 
effective  at  keeping  us  in;  there  were  but  three  escapes  all 
winter.  But  communication  with  the  outside  world  was 
fairly  easy  and  was  kept  up  unceasingly.  Many  of  the  in- 
mates had  friends  among  the  slaves  of  Nuceria.  The  gate- 
guards  were  so  remiss  that,  daily,  one  or  more  outsiders 
entered  our  prison  and  left  when  they  pleased.  The  hench- 
men of  the  dictator  even  managed  to  slip  out  and  spend  an 
hour  or  more  where  they  pleased  in  the  city.  This,  how- 
ever, was  possible  only  if  they  returned  soon,  for  the  super- 
intendent was  keen  on  calling  us  over  three  times  a  day. 

Through  the  activities  of  those  inmates  who  arranged  to 
get  out  and  return,  and  of  their  friends  who  entered  and 
left,  since  the  weighers  of  the  grain  and  flour  were  careless 
and  their  inspectors  negligent,  the  dictator  and  his  friends 
drove  a  regular  and  profitable  trade  in  stolen  flour,  which  they 
exchanged  for  wine,  oil,  dainties,  stolen  clothing  and  such 


THE  MASSACRE  361 

other  articles  as  they  desired;  they  even  sold  much  of  it  for 
cash,  and  not  only  the  dictator  but  each  of  the  six  senators 
had  a  hoard  of  coins,  not  merely  coppers,  but  broad  silver 
pieces. 

In  this  traffic  and  its  advantages  I  had  no  share.  In  fact, 
of  all  his  fellows,  I  think  the  dictator  hated  me  most; 
certainly  he  bullied  me,  made  my  lot  harder  in  countless 
petty  ways,  and  abused  and  insulted  me  constantly. 

After  mid-winter  I  became  aware  of  a  traffic  not  only  in 
dainties  and  wine,  but  in  implements  and  weapons.  Many 
daggers  and  knives  were  smuggled  into  the  ergastulum,  not  a 
few  files.  The  senators  had  a  small  arsenal  of  old  swords, 
regular  infantry  swords,  rusty  but  dangerous.  Gradually  I 
heard  whispers  of  a  plot.  The  conspirators  were  to  file 
through  the  bars  of  more  than  one  window,  plastering  up 
the  filed  places  with  filth  and  earth  to  conceal  the  filing,  leav- 
ing a  thread  of  metal  to  hold  the  filed  bars  in  place.  Then, 
when  all  was  ready,  they  planned  to  murder  the  guards,  over- 
seers and  superintendent,  break  out,  sack  the  town-arsenal,* 
loot  shops  and  mansions,  and  then,  well-clad  and  fully  armed, 
take  to  the  mountains  and  join  the  bands  of  the  King  of  the 
Highwaymen.  Two  of  the  senators  claimed  to  have  been 
men  of  his  before  their  incarceration  and  promised  to  lead 
the  rest  to  the  haunts  of  his  brigands. 

The  date  set  for  their  attempt  was  the  fourteenth  day  be- 
fore the  Kalends  of  April,  a  few  days  before  the  Vernal 
Equinox.  My  gorge  rose  at  the  idea  of  the  burning  and 
sacking  of  Nuceria,  even  at  the  slaughter  of  our  cruel  guards, 
overseers  and  superintendent.  The  more  I  thought  the  mat- 
ter over  the  less  I  liked  the  prospect.  I  had  every  reason 
to  hate  the  dictator  and  senators.  I  saw  no  likelihood  of 
betterment  for  myself  if  I  were  carried  off  with  these  riffraff 
as  one  of  a  band  of  looters,  murderers  and  outlaws,  loose  in 
the  forests. 

I  contrived  to  disclose  the  plot  to  the  prison  authorities. 
As  a  result  the  ergastulum  was  entered  by  the  town  guards, 
rigorously  searched  by  the  aldermen  and  their  apparitors, 
under  the  aldermen's  eyes,  all  the  sawn  bars,  files,  knives, 


362  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

daggers  and  swords  discovered,  the  suspected  men  tortured 
till  the  ring-leaders  were  identified,  the  dictator  and  his  sen- 
ators flogged  and  manacled,  and  the  management  of  the 
ergastulum  renovated. 

I  was  conducted  from  the  prison,  given  a  bath,  clothed 
in  a  clean,  warm  tunic  and  cloak,  provided  with  good  shoes, 
abundantly  fed  and  put  to  sleep  in  a  clean  bed  in  the  house 
of  a  freedman  who  watched  closely  that  I  did  not  escape, 
but  did  everything  to  make  me  comfortable. 

The  next  day  the  chief  alderman  of  Nuceria  interrogated 
me  at  the  town  hall,  praised  me,  declared  that  I  had  saved 
the  town  many  horrors  and  much  damage  and  loss,  and 
asked  me  what  reward  I  craved. 

I  answered,  boldly,  that  what  I  craved  was  what  all  slaves 
craved:  freedom. 

He  replied  that,  in  his  opinion,  I  had  merited  manumis- 
sion; but  that  I  was  not  the  property  of  the  municipality  of 
Nuceria,  but  of  the  fiscus;  *  I  was,  in  short,  part  of  the  per- 
sonal property  of  the  Emperor  and  could  be  manumitted  only 
by  the  Emperor,  or  by  one  of  his  legal  representatives.  Such 
a  manumission  would  be  difficult  to  arrange  and  its  arrange- 
ment would  take  a  long  time.  He  would  set  to  work  to  try 
to  arrange  for  it.  Meantime,  could  I  not  ask  some  reward 
within  their  power  to  grant? 

I  at  once  replied  that  I  desired  above  all  things  never  to 
be  returned  to  that  ergastulum. 

This  he  promised  immediately,  saying  that  recommitment 
there  would  be  equivalent  to  a  sentence  of  torture  and  death, 
since  my  late  associates,  infuriated  at  my  treachery,  as  they 
named  it,  would  certainly  inflict  on  me  all  the  torments  their 
malignity  could  suggest  and  keep  on  till  I  died.  He  added 
that  he  and  the  other  aldermen  had  never  meant  to  recommit 
me;  deliverance  from  that  ergastulum  they  considered  part 
of  my  reward  and  that  the  least  part  of  it.  What  else  did  I 
desire? 

"If,"  said  I,  "I  must  remain  a  slave  and,  remaining  the 
property  of  Caesar,  must  be  employed  as  the  administration 
of  the  fiscus  direct,  at  least  try  to  arrange  that  I  be  employed 

*See  Note  B. 


THE  OPEN  COUNTRY  363 

out  of  doors  far  from  any  town,  on  a  slave  farm,  or  at 
herding  or  wood-cutting  or  charcoal-burning.  I  have  heard 
that  many  of  Caesar's  slave-gangs  are  busy  afield,  on  farms 
or  pasture-lands  or  in  the  forests/' 

"That/'  said  the  alderman,  "will  be  easy.  Afield  you  shall 
go — even  far  afield.  Do  you  like  horses?  Can  you  manage 
horses  ?" 

"I  love  all  animals/'  I  said,  "and  most  particularly  horses." 

"Then,"  said  the  alderman,  "I  have  already  in  mind  the 
very  place  for  you,  where  none  of  your  rancorous  late  associ- 
ates can  ever  find  you,  on  an  Imperial  stock-farm  or  breeding- 
ranch  in  the  uplands,  among  the  forested  mountains.  Would 
you  consider  it  a  reward,  would  you  consider  it  the  fulfillment 
of  your  wish  to  be  transferred  from  our  town  ergastulum, 
where  you  were  as  an  Imperial  slave  rented  out  to  our  city, 
to  such  an  Imperial  estate,  where  you  will  be  directly  under 
the  employees  of  the  fiscus?" 

"I  certainly  should  feel  rewarded,"  I  said,  "by  such  a 
transfer." 

"In  addition,"  he  concluded,  "we  shall  present  you  with 
a  new  tunic  and  cloak  and  new  shoes,  also  an  extra  tunic, 
and  with  a  purse  containing  ten  silver  pieces." 


CHAPTEE  XXV 

THE  OPEN   COUNTRY 

AFTER  some  days  of  rest,  abundant  food  and  leisurely 
hot-baths  in  the  f reedman's  house,  I  left  Nueeria  under 
convoy  of  three  genial  road-constables  and  journeyed  delib- 
erately northward  along  the  Flaminian  Highway  to  the  Im- 
perial estate  which  was  to  be  my  abode.  I  am  not  going  to 
locate  it  precisely  nor  to  name  the  villages  nearest  it  nor  the 
neighboring  towns.  It  will  be  quite  sufficient  to  set  down 
that  it  was  near  the  Flaminian  Highway  and  approximately 
half  way  between  Nuceria  and  Forum  SemproniL 


364  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

My  reasons  for  vagueness  are  mandatory,  to  my  mind. 
Feuds  in  the  Umbrian  mountains  differ  greatly  from  feuds  in 
the  Sabine  hills;  but,  like  Sabinum,  Umbria  is  afflicted  with 
feuds.  Now  I  anticipate  that  this  book  will  not  only  be  widely 
read  among  our  nobility  and  gentry  and  much  discussed  by 
them,  but  also  that  it  will  be  talked  of  by  more  than  half 
Rome  and  that  copies  of  it  and  talk  about  it  will  spread  all 
over  Italy  and  even  into  the  provinces.  Talk  of  it  may 
trickle  into  the  Umbrian  mountains.  Umbrian  mountaineers 
live  long.  Some  of  those  who  loved  me  and  befriended  me 
or  loved  and  befriended  those  who  loved  and  befriended  me, 
may  still  be  alive  and  hearty  and  likely  to  live  many  years  yet. 
So  also  may  be  some  of  those  who  hated  me.  I  do  not  want 
anyone  holding  a  grudge,  or  nursing  the  grudge  of  a  dead 
kinsman  or  friend,  to  learn  through  me  of  any  secret  kindness 
to  me  which  he  might  regard  as  treachery  to  his  kin  and  so 
feel  impelled  to  avenge  on  those  who  befriended  me  or  their 
children  or  grandchildren.  Umbrian  enmities  ramify  in- 
credibly and  endure  from  generation  to  generation.  I  remem- 
ber with  gratitude  many  Umbrians  who  were  kind  to  me;  I 
would  not,  however,  indirectly  cause  any  trouble  to  them  in 
their  old  age,  or  to  their  descendants. 

The  Imperial  estate  was  large  and  I  learned  its  history. 
It  was  made  up  of  three  adjacent  properties  confiscated  at 
different  periods  by  different  Emperors.  One  had  fallen  to 
the  fiscus  under  Nero,  a  second  under  Domitian,  and  a  third 
under  Trajan,  each  as  the  result  of  its  owner  being  implicated 
in  a  conspiracy  against  the  Emperor.  The  administration  of 
the  resultant  large  estate  was  a  perfect  sample  of  the  excellent 
management  in  detail  and  stupid  misjudgment  in  general  so 
common  under  the  fiscus.  The  estate  was  hilly,  some  of  it 
mountainous,  and  quite  unfitted  for  horse-breeding,  which  is 
best  engaged  in,  as  everybody  knows,  on  estates  composed 
chiefly  of  wide-spreading  plains  or  gently  rolling  country 
with  broad,  flat  meadows.  Good  judgment  would  have  put 
this  estate  chiefly  in  forest,  with  a  few  cattle,  some  sheep  and 
more  goats,  but  no  horses.  As  I  found  it,  it  had,  to  be  sure, 
many  goats,  but  almost  as  many  sheep  and  cattle,  and  horses 


THE  OPEN  COUNTRY  365 

almost  as  numerous  as  the  cattle  and  far  more  important,  for 
to  their  breeding  most  of  the  efforts  of  the  overseer  were 
directed. 

The  overseer's  house  was  the  best  of  the  three  original 
villas.  About  it  were  ample,  commodious  and  scrupulously 
clean  quarters  for  slaves  like  me.  Also  it  had  yards  for  fowls, 
ducks,  geese,  guinea-fowls,  and  peacocks,  arranged  before  the 
confiscation  and  allowed  since  to  run  down,  but  still  pro- 
ductive and  fairly  well-filled  with  birds,  as  were  the  big  dove- 
cotes. Besides,  there  were  fish  ponds  and  a  rabbit-warren, 
left  from  the  former  villa.  There  were  extensive  stables, 
cattle-sheds  and  pens,  sheep-folds,  goat-runs  and  pig-sties 
adjoining  the  house.  In  the  quarters  I  found  a  goodly  com- 
pany of  hearty,  healthy,  contented  slaves,  sty-wards,  goat- 
herds, shepherds,  cowmen  and  horse-wranglers.  These  were 
friendly  from  my  first  arrival  among  them,  seemed  to  look 
me  over  deliberately  and  appraise  me,  and  appeared  to  like  me- 

I  was  first  sent  out  as  one  of  two  assistants  to  an  experi- 
enced herder  in  charge  of  a  rather  large  herd  of  beef -steers. 
We  drove  them  up  the  mountains  to  a  grassy  glade  and,  when 
they  had  eaten  down  the  grass  there,  to  another.  Our  duties 
were  light,  as  the  steers  were  not  very  wild  or  fierce  and  were 
easy  to  keep  together,  to  keep  in  motion  by  day  and  to  keep 
stationary  by  night.  Each  night  two  of  us  slept  by  a  smoul- 
dering fire  and  the  third  circled  about  the  herd  as  the  steers 
lay  sleeping  or  chewing  their  cuds.  The  circling  was  done  at 
the  horse's  slowest  walk.  Our  horses  were  good,  our  food 
good,  and  my  two  companions  genial,  though  reticent. 

Only  once  did  any  of  our  charges  bolt.  Then,  when  we 
missed  three  steers,  our  senior  asked  me: 

"Do  you  think  you  could  find  them  and  fetch  them  back?" 

On  my  affirming  confidence  that  I  could  he  smiled  doubt- 
fully, and  shook  his  head,  but  drawled: 

"I'll  give  you  the  chance,  just  to  try  you  out." 

I  found  the  runaways  with  no  trouble  whatever,  for  their 
trail  was  nowhere  faint,  turned  them  easily  and  brought  them 
back,  manifestly,  much  sooner  than  he  had  hoped.  He  ap- 
peared pleased,  but  merely  grunted. 


866  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Yet  he  must  have  spoken  well  of  me  to  the  superintendent, 
for  after  a  day's  rest  in  the  slave-quarters  I  was  assigned  the 
sole  care  of  a  small  bunch  of  young  cows  with  their  first 
calves.  It  seemed  to  be  assumed  that  I  would  make  no 
attempt  to  escape.  As  I  had  been  given  a  good  horse  and  a 
serviceable  rain-cloak,  I  had  thoroughly  enjoyed  my  life  from 
the  start. 

The  landscape  was  charming,  the  climate  agreeable,  spring 
was  approaching,  I  was  out  in  the  open  air,  camping  at  night 
by  a  fire  wherever  my  charges  lay  down  to  sleep,  eating  what  I 
chose  of  the  ample  supply  of  good  food  which  I  carried  in  my 
saddle-bags.  I  was  happy,  thoroughly  happy,  and  I  throve 
from  my  arrival.  I  still  mourned  for  Agathemer,  but  I 
did  not  miss  him  as  acutely  as  I  had  in  the  ergastulum. 

After  about  ten  days  in  the  woodland  glades  I  brought  my 
charges  back  to  the  villa  for  inspection,  according  to  orders. 
The  inspector  was  pleased  with  their  condition  and  com- 
mended me.  Some  of  the  fellow-herdsmen,  off  duty,  stood  or 
sat  about  and  they  seemed  to  approve. 

One  of  them  asked : 

"Have  much  trouble,  Greenhorn  ?" 

"Not  a  bit,"  I  answered. 

"How'd  you  like  to  try  to  milk  one  of  those  cows  ?'  another 
enquired. 

"I  can  milk  any  one  of  them/'  I  replied.  "I  have  milked 
most  of  them.  I've  been  drinking  all  the  milk  I  could  hold 
all  the  while  I  was  out  with  them." 

"That's  the  silliest  lie  I  ever  heard/'  they  chorused.  "Why, 
if  you  tried  to  handle  any  one  of  those  cows  she'd  gore  you 
to  death.  You  couldn't  get  near  enough  to  the  udder  of  any 
one  of  them  to  get  your  hand  on  her  teats.  Invent  a  lie  we 
can  swallow,  or  quit  bragging.  You  can't  fool  us." 

I  kept  my  temper,  scaled  the  enclosure  of  the  cow-pen, 
being  careful  not  to  make  any  sudden  movement,  strolled 
to  the  nearest  cow,  stroked  her  nose,  pulled  her  ears,  walked 
down  her  flank,  patting  her  as  I  went  and  handled  her  udder. 

"What  have  you  to  say  now  ?"  I  called  to  the  gaping  yokels. 

"Try  that  on  another,"  they  shouted  back. 


THE  OPEN  COUNTRY  867 

I  did  the  like  with  two  more. 

They  were  dumb. 

"Hand  me  a  crock/'  I  called,  "and  HI  get  a  quart  or  so 
of  milk,  if  the  calves  have  left  any." 

When  one  handed  me  a  small  olla  I  milked  it  more  than 
half-full  from  a  dozen  cows.  I  exhibited  the  milk,  offered 
it  to  them,  and,  on  their  laughingly  replying  that  they  were 
no  milk-sops,  they  preferred  wine,  I  drank  most  of  it.  Then  I 
went  to  the  nearest  calf,  gentled  it,  picked  it  up,  lifted  it 
onto  my  back,  its  legs  sticking  out  in  front  of  me  across  my 
shoulders,  and  paced  back  and  forth  along  the  inside  of  the 
fence,  the  mother  following  me,  licking  the  calf  and  lowing, 
but  mild  and  with  no  show  of  anger,  let  alone  any  threat  of 
attack  on  me. 

Before  I  put  the  calf  down  the  superintendent  came  along. 

"What's  all  this?"  he  queried. 

"Felix  here,"'  he  was  answered,  "is  a  sort  of  wizard.  He 
can  gentle  these  cows,  he  can  milk  them,  and  he  has  been 
showing  off  how  one  will  let  him  carry  her  calf  and  yet  not 
get  excited." 

"Can  you  do  as  well  with  bulls,  too?"  the  Vttlicus  enquired. 

"I  think  so,"  I  replied.  I  had  put  down  the  calf  and 
climbed  out  of  the  cow-pen. 

"Come  along !"  the  Vtilicus  commanded. 

We  trooped  off  to  a  pen  where  there  was  a  fine  breeding- 
bull  all  alone. 

"Get  inside,  lad !"  said  the  Villicus;  "that  is,  if  you  dare. 
But  be  sure  you  are  ready  to  vault  out  again,  and  entirely 
able  to  clear  the  pen." 

I  climbed  into  the  pen  and  stood.  The  bull  gazed  at  me, 
but  made  no  threatening  movement  and  his  demeanor  was 
placid.  I  walked  up  to  him,  a  pace  at  a  time,  patted  his  nose, 
pulled  his  ears,  walked  round  him,  stroking  him,  took  hold 
of  the  ring  in  his  nose  and  led  him  over  toward  the  awe- 
struck gapers : 

When  I  climbed  out  of  the  pen  one  man  said: 

"Try  him  on  old  Scrof a." 

We  trooped  off  to  the  hog-pens  and  there  was  a  six  or 


368  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

j 

eight-year-old  sow  with  a  young  litter.  She  was  a  huge  beast, 
as  ugly  a  sow  as  ever  I  saw.  I  got  into  her  pen,  miring  half 
to  my  knees  in  its  filth,  but  keeping  my  feet.  She  made  no 
move  to  attack  me,  but  grunted  enquiringly.  I  picked  up 
one  of  her  pigs,  it  hardly  squealed  and  she  grunted  scarcely 
more  than  she  had  already.  I  dangled  the  piglet  before  her, 
and  she  only  smelt  it  and  kept  on  grunting,  with  no  sign 
of  wrath. 

"Come  out,  Felix,"  the  Villicus  drawled,  "you  are  sow- 
proof.  But  how  do  you  do  it?" 

"I  don't  know,"  I  replied,  "but  I  have  always  been  able 
to  gentle  fierce  animals  of  any  kind.  No  animal  ever  attacks 
me." 

Thereupon  he  tried  me  with  three  rams  famous  for  butting, 
two  he-goats  of  even  worse  reputation  and  half  a  score  of 
watch-dogs.  I  came  unscathed  from  close  companionship 
with  the  goats  and  rams,  and  the  dogs  behaved  as  if  they  had 
been  my  pets  from  their  puppyhood. 

"Can  you  do  as  well  with  horses  ?"  the  Villicus  enquired. 

"I  believe  so,"  I  replied;  "give  me  a  chance." 

"I  shall,"  he  asserted.  "I'll  round  up  all  our  colts  fit  for 
breaking  and  try  you  on  them.  I'll  get  in  most  of  the  boys 
to  watch  the  fun.  It'll  take  about  ten  days  to  get  ready. 
Meanwhile  you  can  take  out  another  bunch  of  heifers  with 
new  calves.  It  seems  to  suit  you  and  the  calves  and  the 
heifers." 

When  I  returned  from  my  third  outing,  hard  and  fit  and 
happy,  the  Villicus  asked  me  how  soon  I  would  be  ready 
for  colt-breaking. 

"Tomorrow,"  I  said. 

The  next  day  was  made  a  sort  of  festival,  with  all  the 
horse-herders  at  the  villa  paddocks. 

First  of  all  four  experienced  horse-wranglers  roped  a  filly, 
threw  her,  bitted  and  bridled  her  while  one  sat  on  her  head, 
let  her  get  on  her  feet,  hobbled  her,  held  her  so  while  two 
more  saddled  her  and  then  held  her  while  one  mounted  her. 
When  they  let  her  go  she  reared,  bucked,  dashed  about,  bucked 
again  and  again,  and  continued  till  exhaustion  forced  her  to 


THE  OPEN  COUNTRY  369 

quiet  down  and  obey  her  rider,  who  had  kept  his  seat  from 
the  first. 

"What  do  you  think  of  that,  Felix?"  the  Villicus  asked  me. 

"As  good  horse-wrangling  as  can  be  seen  anywhere,"  I  re- 
plied. "Up  to  standard  and  even  above  normal.  But  I  can 
do  better." 

"Bold  words,"  said  the  Villicus  ;  "we'll  give  you  a  chance 
to  prove  them." 

Another  filly  was  roped,  bitted,  bridled,  and  saddled,  and 
her  captors  invited  me  to  mount. 

"Pooh!"  said  I.  "Let  some  one  else  ride  her.  I  don'! 
need  all  those  preliminaries.  I  can  walk  right  out  into  that 
bunch  of  colts,  catch  any  young  stallion  you  point  out,  hold 
him  by  the  nose,  gentle  him  without  any  rope  or  thong  on 
him,  mount  him  by  vaulting  onto  his  back,  and  ride  him 
about  unbitted,  unbridled,  bareback,  and  as  I  please,  without 
his  rearing  or  bucking  or  kicking." 

"Son,"  said  the  Villicus,  "you  are  either  a  lunatic  or  a 
demigod.  Go  in  and  try  what  you  boast  you.  can  do.  Show 
us." 

"Point  out  your  stallion,"  I  suggested. 

He  indicated  a  beautiful  bay  with  a  white  face.  He  let  me 
approach  him  at  my  first  attempt,  let  me  take  him  by  the 
nose,  let  me  lead  him  close  to  my  dumbfounded  audience,  let 
me  mount  him.  I  rode  him  about,  turning  him  to  right  or 
left  as  the  Villicus  ordered,  at  my  suggestion.  When  I  got 
off  I  lifted  each  of  his  hoofs  in  succession,  crawled  under 
his  belly,  crawled  between  his  fore-legs,  and  then  between  his 
hind-legs,  while  the  onlookers  held  their  breath;  finally  I 
stood  behind  him,  slapped  his  rump  and  pulled  his  tail. 

"Is  he  broken  ?"  I  queried. 

"Apparently  he  is  gentle  as  a  lamb  to  you,"  the  Villicus 
admitted,  "but  how  about  the  rest  of  us?" 

"Bring  in  a  saddle  and  bridle,"  I  suggested,  "and  I'll  bit 
him  and  hold  him  while  two  of  you  saddle  him  and  until  one 
of  you  mounts  him.  He  should  be  no  more  dangerous  than 
a  roped  filly." 

They  did  as  I  suggested  and  I  then  rode  him  about  until 


S70  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

he  appeared  used  to  the  saddle  and  bit  and  already,  at  once, 
bridle-wise.  Then  one  of  the  wranglers  rode  him. 

I  gentled  colt  after  colt  all  that  day  till  sunset,  with  a 
very  brief  pause  for  food  and  rest.  Also  I  kept  it  up  next 
day  until  mid-afternoon,  when  the  last  colt  had  been  tamed. 

Then,  as  we  stood  breathing,  one  of  the  horse-wranglers 
suggested : 

"Try  him  on  Selinus." 

"That  would  be  plain  murder,"  one  of  the  others  cried. 

"I  am  not  so  sure,"  the  Villicus  ruminated.  "I  am  almost 
ready  to  feel  that  he  might  even  tame  Selinus." 

Off  we  trooped  to  the  stable  of  the  choice  breeding-stallions. 
There,  in  a  darkened  box-stall,  I  was  shown  a  beautiful  demon 
of  a  horse,  four  years  old,  a  sorrel,  with  a  white  face  and  white 
forefeet.  He  certainly  looked  wicked  enough. 

"Will  you  try  him  ?"  the  Villicus  asked  me. 

"Of  course,"  I  said.  "Let  him  out  into  the  yard  or  th& 
paddock." 

Into  the  paddock  he  was  let  out,  by  means  of  a  door  in 
his  stall  worked  by  winches  from  above.  In  the  afternoon 
sunlight  he  pranced  and  curvetted  about,  a  joy  to  see. 

"Let  me  show  Felix  what  he  is  like,"  one  of  the  younger 
horse-wranglers  suggested. 

"You  can,"  the  Villicus  agreed.  "We  all  know  how  agile 
you  are  and  how  quick  at  vaulting  a  fence." 

The  fellow  vaulted  into  the  paddock  when  Selinus  was  at 
its  further  corner.  The  moment  the  beast  saw  him  he  charged 
at  full-run,  screaming  like  an  angry  gander,  the  picture  of 
a  man-killer,  ears  laid  back,  nostrils  wide  arid  red,  mouth 
open,  teeth  bared,  forehoofs  lashing  out  high  in  front,  an 
equine  fury.  The  lad  vaulted  the  fence  handily  when  Selinus 
was  not  three  yards  from  him  and  the  brute  pawed  angrily 
at  the  palings  and  bit  them  viciously. 

"Want  to  try,  Felix?"  the  Villicus  asked  me  again. 

Without  a  word  I  vaulted  the  enclosure  within  two  yards 
of  Selinus.  He  stood,  ears  cocked  forward,  nostrils  quiet, 
mouth  shut,  all  four  hoofs  on  the  ground,  quivering  all  over. 


THE  OPEN  COUNTRY  371 

Inch  by  inch  I  neared  him  till  my  hand  touched  him.  He 
trembled  like  an  aspen-leaf,  but  did  not  attack  me. 

"Hercules  be  good  to  us  all  I"  exclaimed  one  of  the  men. 

After  that  I  did  with  Selinus  all  I  had  done  with  the  first 
stallion-colt,  gentling  him,  leading  him  by  the  nose,  mount- 
ing him,  riding  him,  crawling  under  his  belly,  between  his 
fore-legs  and  hind-legs,  pulling  his  tail,  slapping  him  liberally 
all  over.  Then,  timidly,  urged  by  their  comrades'  jeers,  the 
two  wranglers  whom  I  invited  brought  me  a  saddle  and  bridle 
and  I  bitted  him  and  held  him  while  they  saddled.  Then  I 
rode  him. 

Afterwards,  with  much  misgiving,  but  shamed  into  bold- 
ness, the  chief  horse- wrangler  mounted  him  and  rode  him. 

Selinus  was  tamed! 

"Felix,"  said  the  Villicus,  "you  are  too  valuable  to  set  to 
herding  cattle.  You  are  henceforward  chief  horse-wrangler 
of  this  estate.  I'll  give  you  a  house  all  to  yourself  and  a 
girl  to  keep  house  for  you.  When  not  horse  taming  here  or 
wherever  I  lend  you  out,  you  can  spend  your  time  as  you 
please." 

The  onlookers  acclaimed  his  award  and  the  displaced  chief  - 
Lorse-wrangler  shook  hands  with  me  and  declared  that  he 
was  proud  to  be  second  to  such  a  wonder  as  "Felix  the  Wiz- 
ard/' 

After  that  I  lived  a  life  of  ease.  My  dwelling  was  a  neat 
cottage  well  shaded  with  fine  trees  and  bowered  in  climbing 
vines,  with  a  tiny  courtyard,  a  not  too  tiny  atrium  with  a 
hearth,  a  kitchen,  a  store-room  and  two  bed-rooms.  It  was 
as  clean  as  possible  and  well  furnished  for  a  slave's  quarters. 
The  girl  and  I  liked  each  other  at  first  sight.  I  am  not  going 
to  tell  her  name,  but  a  jest  we  had  between  us  led  me  to  call 
her  by  the  pet  name  of  Septima.  If  she  had  been  a  free- 
woman,  she  would  have  been  described  as  a  young  widow. 
Her  former  mate,  one  of  the  horse-wranglers,  had  been  killed 
by  Selinus  the  previous  autumn.  Their  child,  not  a  year 
old,  had  died  before  his  father.  Septima  had  recovered  from 
her  grief  during  the  winter  and  had  become  normally  cheerful 


372  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

before  she  was  assigned  to  me.  I  found  her  constitutionally 
merry,  very  good  company,  always  diligent,  a  surpassing  cook, 
magical  with  the  garden,  especially  with  her  beloved  flowers, 
a  capable  needle-woman,  always  neat,  and  very  good-looking. 
We  got  on  famously  together. 

With  her  beehives  only,  Septima  had  trouble.  She  under- 
stood bees  perfectly,  but  was  afraid  of  them,  and  with  reason, 
for  she  was  manifestly  obnoxious  to  bees  and  was  far  too  often 
stung.  Of  course,  bees,  like  all  other  living  creatures,  were 
mild  to  me.  I  tended  her  hives,  under  her  supervision,  for  I 
knew  nothing  of  bees ;  according  to  her  directions  I  captured 
several  swarms  for  her.  Also  I,  when  the  time  came,  removed 
combs  from  such  hives  as  she  designated. 

Spring  was  in  its  full  glory  and  I  felt  the  exhilaration  of 
it.  Each  home-coming  was  a  delight.  And  I  was  much 
away,  for  the  Villicus  had  me  convoyed  about  the  country- 
side to  every  estate  which  possessed  an  unbroken  colt  or  aui 
intractable  horse.  I  gentled  successfully  every  one  I  en- 
countered. 

After  all  the  bad  horses  and  raw  colts  for  miles  around  had 
been  tamed  I  spent  some  days  idling  about  my  cottage  and 
getting  acquainted  with  it  and  with  Septima.  But  within 
not  many  days  I  grew  restive.  I  told  the  Villicits  I  wanted 
something  to  do. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "five  steers  have  eluded  one  of  my  herd- 
gangs  and  no  one  can  find  them.  Question  the  men  (he 
named  them)  so  as  to  get  the  right  start,  and  try  your  luck." 

I  was  off,  trailing  those  five  steers,  for  three  days  and  two 
nights.  By  sunset  of  the  third  day  I  had  them  back  at  the 
villa. 

After  that  I  was  called  on  to  hunt  down  and  round  up  all 
stampeded  cattle  and  all  strays,  whether  cattle,  horses,  goats, 
sheep  or  swine.  I  enjoyed  my  lone  outings  and  between  them 
basked  contentedly  in  the  comfort  of  my  cottage  and  the 
amenity  of  Septima's  cheeriness.  During  my  stays  at  home  I 
thoroughly  familiarized  myself  with  the  villa,  its  outbuildings 
and  all  their  inhabitants.  Also  I  put  a  good  deal  of  time  on 
Selinus,  whom  I  transformed  from  an  insane  man-killer  into 


THE  OPEN  COUNTRY  373 

one  of  the  gentlest  stallions  I  ever  heard  of.  I  taught  him 
all  the  niceties  of  obedience  acclaimed  in  perfect  parade  horses 
till  he  would  stand,  sidle,  hack,  sidle  diagonally,  curvet  and 
•xecute  all  the  show-steps  promptly  at  the  signalling  touch 
or  sound.  I  tamed  him  till  he  would  let  anybody  gentle  him, 
till  it  was  perfectly  safe  for  anyone  to  ride  him.  I  even 
trusted  Septima  on  him  and  he  justified  my  confidence  in  my 
training  of  him  and  in  him.  In  fact,  from  being  a  man- 
killer  who  had  to  be  kept  penned  up  in  the  dark,  whom, 
not  even  the  boldest  horse-master  dare  approach,  he  became  so 
gentle  and  so  trustworthy  that  he  could  be  let  run  at  large, 
mild  to  all  human  beings,  even  to  strangers. 

He  grew  to  love  me  like  a  pet  dog,  followed  me  about  when 
I  was  not  riding  him,  and  would  come  to  me  from  far  away 
to  a  call  or  gesticulation ;  and  he  could  see  me  and  recognize 
me  at  such  distances  that  I  revised  my  notions  as  to  the 
powers  of  sight  possessed  by  horses,  for  I  had  held  the 
common  opinion  that  no  horse  can  see  clearly  or  definitely 
any  object  at  all  far  from  him.  Selinus  repeatedly  saw  and 
recognized  me  a  full  half-mile  away  and  galloped  to  me,  ap- 
proaching with  every  demonstration  of  joy. 

During  my  horse-wrangling  expeditions  and  my  excursions 
after  wandering  stock  I  had  grown  well  acquainted  with  the 
country-side  and  its  inhabitants.  I  was  on  terms  of  com- 
radeship with  all  my  fellow-slaves,  of  easy  sociability  with 
the  yeomanry;  while  I  was  treated  by  the  overseers,  the  Vil- 
licus,  and  inspectors  with  marked  consideration.  Thus  I 
rapidly  learnt  all  there  was  to  know  of  the  idiosyncrasies  of 
the  locality,  since  everybody  seemed  to  trust  me  and  no  one 
held  aloof  or  was  reticent  with  me. 

I  found  conditions  in  the  Umbrian  mountains  as  amazing, 
as  incredible  as  in  the  ergastulum  at  Nuceria,  There  the  two 
vital  facts  were  the  negligence  and  impotence  of  the  warders 
and  the  secret  system  for  cheating  and  thwarting  them. 
Here  all  the  thoughts  of  slaves,  peasants  and  yeomen  on  the 
one  hand,  and  of  overseers,  inspectors  and  landowners  on  the 
other,  pivoted  on  the  existence  in  the  district  of  a  post  of 
road-constabulary  on  the  lookout  for  bandits  and  of  a  camp 


374.  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  brigands  owing  allegiance  to  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen. 

The  wealthy  proprietors,  the  gentlemanly  landowners,  the 
inspectors  of  the  Estate,  its  Villicus  and  his  overseers  all  sus- 
pected the  presence  of  the  bandits  and  were  doing  all  they 
could  to  assist  the  road-constabulary  to  locate  them,  pounce 
on  them  and  capture  them.  Their  efforts  were  completely 
futile.  Neither  any  of  the  constabulary  nor  any  of  the  well- 
to-do  persons  who  sided  with  them,  could  ever  get  an  inkling 
of  the  location  of  the  outlaws'  various  camps  nor  was  any  of 
them  ever  able  to  be  really  sure  that  bandits  were  actually 
within  a  few  miles.  For  the  whole  body  of  yeomanry,  peas- 
ants and  slaves,  even  the  slaves  of  those  proprietors  keenest 
on  the  scent  of  the  brigands  and  most  eager  to  nab  them,  were 
leagued  to  bamboozle,  thwart  and  oppose  their  masters  and 
betters,  and  to  aid  the  outlaws,  to  keep  them  posted  on  every- 
thing said  and  proposed  by  the  loyal  inhabitants,  and  to  assist 
them  in  outwitting  the  authorities,  the  constabulary  and  alt' 
persons  who  sided  witk  them.  In  this  they  were  notably 
successful. 

It  is  my  keen  recollection  of  this  condition  of  things  which 
determines  me  to  omit  from  this  part  of  my  narrative  all 
names  of  persons  and  places.  The  generality  of  the  popula- 
tion made  a  sort  of  religion  out  of  their  complicity  with  the 
outlaws.  They  took  an  almost  religious  pride  in  cooperating 
with  them  and  in  antagonizing  their  adversaries.  They  hated 
all  the  adversaries  of  the  outlaws,  whether  landowners,  con- 
stabulary or  inspectors.  But,  above  all,  they  loathed,  ab- 
horred, abominated  and  detested  with  a  white-hot  animosity 
any  yeoman,  peasant  or  slave  who  failed  to  do  all  in  his  power 
to  foster  the  interests  of  the  outlaws ;  regarding  such  persons, 
male  or  female,  as  traitors  to  the  cause  of  the  populace. 
Especially  did  they  cherish  an  envenomed  and  malignant 
grudge  against  anyone  who  actually  sided  with  the  constab- 
ulary, gave  them  information  or  betrayed  the  outlaws :  or  even 
against  anyone  who  helped  or  shielded  any  such  informer. 

As  I  was  the  means  of  spoiling  the  long-prepared  and 
much-hoped  for  coup  on  which  the  robbers  had  set  their 
highest  hopes,  as  not  a  few  men  and  women  assisted  me  with. 


THE  OPEN  COUNTRY  375 

information,  aided  me  in  other  ways  and  protected  me  after- 
wards, I  dare  not  name  any  names  for  fear  that  some  sur- 
vivor or  some  son  or  grandson  of  some  participant  in  these 
doings  might  learn  through  me  of  long  suspected  but  never 
verified  treason  to  the  unwritten  law  of  the  country-side  and 
might  bloodily  avenge  it  on  a  surviving  helper  of  mine  or  on 
any  such  helper's  children  or  grandchildren.  The  Umbrian 
mountaineers  are  spleenful,  tenacious  of  a  grudge  and  fero- 
ciously acrimonious. 

I  learnt  all  these  amazing  facts  without  difficulty,  for  slaves, 
peasants  and  yeoman  alike  assumed  that  I  was  of  their  party 
and  was  heart  and  soul  with  the  outlaws.  I  was  not  subject 
to  suspicion  because  I  visited  the  post  of  the  constabulary,  be- 
came acquainted  with  every  man  of  them,  their  sergeants  and 
their  officers  and  frequented  their  company.  All  the  yeomen, 
peasants  and  slaves  whose  abodes  were  near  the  post,  were, 
on  the  surface,  on  the  best  of  terms  with  the  road-constables ; 
pretended  to  help  them  with  information,  retailing  to  them 
as  rumors  all  sorts  of  inventions  calculated  to  throw  them  off 
the  scent  of  the  outlaws,  always  with  an  air  of  the  friend- 
liest good-will;  and  loitered,  idling  about  the  post,  chatting 
of  local  gossip. 

I  was  so  entirely  trusted  that  I  was  taken  to  the  outlaws' 
camp  and  made  acquainted  with  the  entire  band.  Paradox- 
ically the  members  of  the  band  were  all  hulking  burly  ruffians 
of  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  years,  whereas  their  chief,  while 
big  and  brawny  enough,  was  inferior  in  size  to  any  of  his 
subordinates  and  younger  by  six  full  years  than  the  youngest 
of  them.  -  To  him  I  was  boisterously  presented  as  a  brother, 
for  his  name  also  was  Felix.  In  fact,  he  was  the  man  since 
famous  as  Felix  Bulla,  for  long  the  most  redoubtable  outlaw 
in  Italy.  Then  he  was  hardly  more  than  a  lad,  for  all  his 
bulk  and  strength  and  ferocity.  He  had  been  appointed  chief 
of  the  band  by  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen  in  person,  who 
held  him  in  the  warmest  regard  for  his  ruthlessness,  courage, 
skill,  and  cunning,  especially  for  his  cunning,  rating  him,  as  I 
was  told  by  all  the  band,  and  having  proclaimed  him  to  them, 
as  the  most  subtle  and  crafty  outlaw  alive  after  himself. 


876  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Bulla,  like  everybody  else,  appeared  to  take  to  me  and  treated 
jme  as  an  equal,  after  conversing  with  me  for  hours  at  a 
time.  I  was  always  a  welcome  guest  at  any  of  the  bandits' 
camps  and  they  often  made  me  show  off  my  admired  powers 
on  fox-cubs,  badgers,  weasels  and  other  such  wild  creatures 
which  they  or  their  peasant  friends  had  trapped  alive.  My 
ability  to  tame,  handle,  fondle  and  make  tractable  to  anyone 
such  animals  appeared  a  source  of  unflagging  interest  and 
unceasing  entertainment  to  these  ruffians. 

As  I  was  allowed  to  dispose  of  my  time  as  I  chose,  when- 
ever I  was  not  busy  rounding  up  strayed  stock  or  taming  raw 
colts,  I  had  plenty  of  leisure  to  ride  about  the  country-side, 
make  friends,  get  intimate  with  the  constabulary  and  the 
outlaws  and  idle  many  of  my  days  as  appeared  most  pleasant. 
I  took  full  advantage  of  my  partial  liberty. 

The  weather,  from  my  arrival  at  the  Imperial  estate,  was 
mostly  fine  and  often  glorious.  Spring  came  early  and 
merged  beautifully  into  summer.  I  enjoyed  myself  hugely. 
Besides  local  peculiarities  and  the  humors  of  the  tacit  league 
to  thwart  the  constabulary  and  foster  the  interests  of  the  out- 
laws, I  derived  much  entertainment  from  the  traffic  on  the 
Maminian  Highway.  Of  course,  there  were  Imperial  cour- 
iers, travellers  of  all  sorts,  and  convoys  of  every  kind  of 
goods,  long  strings  of  wagons,  carts  or  pack-mules  laden  with 
wheat,  other  grains,  wine,  oil,  flax,  charcoal,  firewood,  ingots 
of  bronze,  lead  or  iron,  and  countless  other  commodities  on 
their  way  to  Rome;  or  convoys  of  clothing,  hangings,  furni- 
ture, utensils  and  the  like,  going  northwards  from  the  City. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE   OUTLAWS 

FROM  early  spring,  however,  all  this  normal  traffic  was 
interfered    with,    delayed,    hindered    and    even    totally 
blockaded  by  column  after  column  of  wains  and  wagons  pass- 


THE  OUTLAWS  377 

ing  southwards,  huge  wagons,  drawn  by  six  or  eight  or  even 
ten  horses  or  mules  or  by  as  many  big  long-horned  white  oxen, 
every  wagon  laden  with  a  cage  or  two  or  more  cages  contain- 
ing beasts  being  conveyed  to  the  Colosseum  in  Eome.  This 
amazing  procession  roused  my  interest  as  soon  as  it  began  to 
pass;  filling,  clogging,  blocking  the  highway  and  continuing 
without  intermission  day  after  day,  ceasing  its  movement, 
indeed,  each  night,  but  making  the  roadside  almost  a  con- 
tinuous camp  of  teamsters  and  caretakers,  barely  half  of  them 
sleeping,  the  moiety  busy  about  their  draft-cattle  or  the  cagea 
of  their  charges. 

The  endless  stream  of  caravans  amazed  me.  I  had  seen 
beast-fights  without  number  in  the  Colosseum,  but  had  never 
thought  of  the  enormous  labor  and  expense  incident  on  the 
preparations  for  even  one  morning's  exhibition  of,  say,  a  hun- 
dred lions  and  other  beasts  in  proportion.  Now  I  meditated 
over  the  thousands  of  trappers  and  other  hunters  who  must 
scour  the  forests  of  Dacia,  Moesia,  Thrace,  Illyricum,  Pan- 
nonia,  Noricum,  Rhaetia  and  Germany  to  gather  such  a  sup- 
ply of  beasts  for  exhibition.  I  saw  wolves,  bears  and  boars  by 
the  thousand,  and  hundreds  of  lynxes,  elk  and  wild  bulls,  both 
the  strange  forest-bisons,  unlike  our  cattle,  with  low  rumps 
and  high  shoulders  and  their  horns  turned  downwards  and 
forwards,  parallel  to  each  other,  and  the  huger  and  even 
fiercer  bulls,  much  like  farm  bulls,  but  larger,  taller  and 
leaner  and  with  horns  incredibly  long,  so  that  their  tips  were 
often  two  yards  and  more  apart.  I  had  no  idea  of  the  vast 
numbers  of  such  beasts  which  were  yearly  poured  into  Rome 
from  all  the  mountains  and  forests  to  the  north  and  east  of 
the  Alps.  I  was  amazed. 

Even  more  was  I  amazed  to  see  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of 
cages  containing  beasts  not  from  northern  Europe,  but  from 
Africa,  or  even  from  Asia:  lions  without  number,  panthers 
and  leopards  by  the  hundred,  many  tigers,  antelopes  of  all 
kinds  by  scores  of  each  kind,  rhinoceroses,  and  hippopotami 
in  enormous  cages  on  gigantic  wains  drawn  by  twelve  yoke 
of  oxen;  even  a  dozen  huge  gray  elephants  pacing  sedately, 
their  turbaned  mahouts  rocking  on  their  necks. 


378  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

I  knew  that  the  traffic  in  beasts  from  the  northern  forests 
concentrated  at  Aquileia  and  I  had  a  hazy  notion  that  they 
were  customarily  shipped  from  there  by  sea  round  Italy  and 
through  the  straits  to  the  Tiber.  My  curiosity  was  excited 
as  to  why  they  were  now  coming  overland  instead  of  going 
by  sea.  Still  more  was  I  curious  as  to  why  these  hordes  of 
animals  from  the  south  should  be  traversing  Italy  from  the 
north. 

I  asked  questions  and  could  get  no  satisfaction  from  the 
natives  of  the  district:  slaves,  peasants,  yeomen,  proprietors, 
overseers,  Villicus  and  all,  they  one  and  all  knew  nothing. 
If  they  claimed  to  know,  what  they  alleged  merely  emphasized 
their  ignorance. 

The  constabulary  knew,  but  were  inclined  to  be  reticent 
and,  when  they  spoke,  were  laconic.  Yet  their  briefest  utter- 
ances contained  hints  which  confirmed  the  only  fact  I  had 
elicited  from  the  natives:  namely,  that  this  traffic  was  not 
only  unusual  along  the  Flaminian  Highway,  but  had  never 
been  seen  on  it  before ;  was  a  complete  novelty,  even  a  portent. 
They  also  confirmed  my  impression  that  few  animals  destined 
for  beast-fights  in  the  amphitheatres  reached  Eome  overland ; 
as  I  had  thought,  practically  all  had  hitherto  come  by  sea 
and  up  the  Tiber. 

Still  curious,  I  made  friends  with  the  teamsters.  Some 
were  from  Eavenna,  and  even  these  grumbled  at  the  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  as  ruinous  to  their  cattle.  The 
animals  they  convoyed  had  come  overland  from  Aquileia  to 
Altinum  and  from  there  to  Eavenna  by  sea.  In  this  way  had 
come  the  crocodiles,  hippopotami  and  rhinoceroses. 

More  teamsters  were  from  Aquileia  itself.  Some  of  these 
with  the  lighter  wagons  for  the  cages  containing  wolves, 
lynxes,  small  antelopes,  hyenas  or  African  apes,  had  been 
able  to  take  the  shorter  though  poorer  road  by  way  of  Pata- 
vium  and  Ateste  to  Bononia,  which  made  their  total  journey 
under  five  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  But  most,  including 
all  those  conveying  bears,  boars,  panthers,  leopards,  lions  or 
tigers,  had  come  by  the  more  northerly  road  through  Verona. 
Those  with  panthers,  leopards  or  small  stags  had  come  from 


THE  OUTLAWS  379 

Verona  by  way  of  Hostilia  to  Bononia  and  from  there  south- 
ward as  did  all,  making  their  journey  about  five  hundred  and 
fifty  miles;  the  men  conveying  cages  of  tigers,  lions,  bears, 
boars,  elk,  or  wild  bulls  had  mostly  come  from  Verona 
through  Cremona;  from  there  some  through  Eegio  to  Bo- 
nonia, others  through  Placentia;  and  for  these  their  total 
teaming  did  not  differ  much,  about  six  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  for  the  ones  and  ten  miles  more  for  the  others.  Teams 
tugging  wains  carrying  the  heaviest  cages  containing  unusu- 
ally large  elk,  boars,  bears  or  bulls,  had  had  to  go  by  way  of 
Milan  and  had  been  put  to  it  to  keep  their  teams  fit  for  a 
journey  of  over  seven  hundred  miles. 

Besides  the  difference  in  weight  of  the  loads,  chiefly  de- 
pending on  the  needed  strength  of  the  cages,  I  found  that 
their  divergence  of  routes  was  due,  in  part,  to  the  efforts 
which  the  procurator  of  all  this  teaming  had  made  to  avoid 
choking  the  roads.  The  teamsters  averred  that  they  knew 
nothing  as  to  why  the  beasts  were  being  brought  this  way; 
and  no  more  as  to  why  animals  brought  all  the  way  from 
Africa  to  Aquileia,  a  voyage  far  longer  than  the  voyage  to 
Eome,  should  then  be  conveyed  overland  from  Aquileia  to  the 
Colosseum. 

I  enjoyed  idling  about  the  teamsters'  camps  chatting  with 
them  and  the  attendants  who  cared  for  the  beasts.  One  hot 
evening,  just  about  sunset,  when  I  was  already  thinking  of 
riding  off  home  to  bathe  and  dine,  while  I  was  lingering  to 
watch  his  keepers  urging  their  little  gang  of  slaves  to  pour 
more  and  more  water  over  a  gasping  hippopotamus,  there  was 
a  yell  of  alarm  all  along  the  line  and  a  scampering,  scattering 
rush  of  fleeing  men;  teamsters,  attendants  and  keepers.  A 
panther  had  broken  out  of  its  cage,  when  a  wagon  overset. 

He  came  down  the  middle  of  the  highway,  keeping  to  it, 
as  everyone  ran  off  it  to  right  and  left.  I  had  strolled  some 
distance  from  where  I  had  tethered  my  horse.  Naturally,  as  I 
could  not  mount  and  dash  off,  I  did  not  run.  I  stepped  into 
the  middle  of  the  road  and  faced  the  beast.  Of  course,  he 
stopped,  stood  still  and  stared  at  me.  I  walked  towards  him, 
very  deliberately,  even  pausing  between  paces,  till  I  was  an 


380  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

arm's  length  from  him.  He  cringed  and  cowered.  I  took 
him  by  the  scruff  of  his  neck,  turned  him  round,  led  him 
T^ack  to  his  cage,  which  was  not  broken,  only  jarred  open, 
made  him  enter  it,  and  closed  the  door  on  him. 

Thereupon  the  fugitives  flocked  back,  acclaiming  me  as  a 
sorcerer.  The  superintendent  of  that  caravan  insisted  on  my 
giving  him  my  name.  I  told  him  I  was  Felix,  the  horse- 
wrangler  of  the  Imperial  estate.  He  gave  me  a  broad  gold 
piece. 

Unable  to  elicit  anything  from  the  natives  or  the  teamsters 
I  resorted  to  the  outlaws.  I  had  been  admonished  before  I 
saw  any  of  them  that  it  was  not  according  to  the  etiquette 
of  the  district  for  anyone  to  ride  a  horse  into  the  outlaws' 
camp.  If  anywhere  near  it  one  visited  it  on  foot.  If  too  far 
one  carefully  avoided  appearing  to  ride  towards  it  or  from  it. 
When  the  camp,  for  instance,  happened  to  be  south  of  my 
cottage  I  would  ride  off  north,  east,  or  west,  fetch  a  long 
compass  about,  tether  my  horse  at  least  half  a  mile  from  the 
camp,  generally  farther  away,  and  stroll  towards  it.  On  leav- 
ing I  invariably  departed  by  a  path  different  from  that  by 
which  I  had  come.  When  I  reached  my  horse  I  was  careful 
similarly  to  choose  a  return  route  which  would  bring  me 
home  some  direction  other  than  that  towards  which  I  had 
gone  off.  Of  course,  I  always  observed  these  precautions, 
since  any  neglect  of  them,  if  known,  would  have  not  only  made 
me  unwelcome  to  the  brigands,  but  also  gotten  me  into  dis- 
favor with  the  whole  countryside. 

When  I  reached  the  outlaws'  camp  I  was  careful  to  let 
them  do  most  of  the  talking  and  to  wait  for  the  talk  to  come 
round  to  the  subject  of  the  beast-caravans.  I  had  not  long 
to  wait,  and,  when  I  expressed  my  amazement  and  curiosity, 
they  showed  no  reluctance  about  informing  me.  Bulla  him- 
self explained  that  Commodus  had  become  so  interested  in 
"beast-fighting,  had  developed  such  transcendent  skill  at  fight- 
ing beasts  and  had  grown  so  infatuated  with  the  sport  that 
lie  spent  most  of  his  time  in  the  arena,  displaying  his  dex- 
terity to  invited  audiences  composed  of  senators,  nobles,  nota- 


THE  OUTLAWS  381 

bilities  and  their  wives  and  even  children;  in  which  ex- 
hibitions he  had  killed  so  many  creatures  that  he  had  not 
only  depleted  but  had  almost  exhausted  the  normal  reserves 
constantly  kept  at  Rome,  Ostia  and  the  other  Tiber  ports. 
When  the  procurators  in  charge  of  the  supplies  of  beasts  for 
the  arena  realized  that  the  Emperor  was  killing  his  victims 
faster  than  they  normally  were  brought  in,  even  lavishly  as 
they  had  always  been  provided,  they  sent  out  orders  urging1 
greatly  increased  efforts  at  hunting,  capturing,  caring  for 
and  rapidly  transporting  all  sorts  of  creatures  destined  for 
the  Colosseum.  The  Emperor's  killing  capacity  and  love  of 
enjoying  and  exhibiting  his  knack  so  outran  their  measures 
that,  by  the  time  the  increased  supply  began  to  come  in,  the 
royal  sportsman's  unerrancy  and  swiftness  outran  their  best 
results,  so  that  hasty  messages  had  to  be  sent  to  Marseilles, 
Aquileia,  Byzantium,  Antioch  and  Alexandria  ordering  the 
instant  despatch  to  Eome,  with  the  utmost  speed,  regardless 
of  expense,  not  only  of  all  newly  captured  beasts  as  they 
came  in,  in  contravention  of  the  long-established  regulations 
by  which  Rome  and  the  provincial  capitals  shared  each  variety 
of  animal,  but  also  the  concurrent  despatch  of  the  local  re- 
serves, even  the  emptying  of  the  beast  despositories  attached 
to  each  amphitheatre.  As  the  voyage  from  Aquileia  to  Eome 
was  of  variable  duration,  owing  to  the  uncertainty  and  shifti- 
ness of  the  winds,  orders  had  been  given  to  forward  all  ita 
reserves  and  supplies,  at  once,  overland.  Hence  the  spectacle 
which  had  so  excited  the  countryside  and  so  amazed  me.  As 
Commodus  was  still  slaughtering  all  sorts  of  beasts  daily 
not  only  with  arrows  and  spears,  to  show  off  his  accuracy  as  a 
marksman  but,  even  with  sword  or  club,  to  display  his  in- 
credible swiftness  of  movement  and  unerrancy  in  directing 
and  timing  a  blow,  he  was  taxing  the  capacities  of  his  pro- 
curators and  their  gigantic  organization  of  transports,  teams, 
detention-pens,  and  hunters  merely  to  stave  off  the  apparently 
inevitable  day  when,  whatever  might  run  wild  in  the  deserts, 
forests  and  mountains,  there  would  be,  at  Rome,  far  too  few 
beasts  to  maintain  the  autocrat's  daily  sport. 


382  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

When  I  expressed  my  astonishment  at  the  certainty  with 
which  these  explanations  were  uttered  and  my  wonder  as  to 
how  they  came  to  be  so  sure,  Bulla  said : 

"Why,  our  King  of  the  Highwaymen  has  reliable,  capable 
and  secret  agents,  entirely  unsuspected,  in  every  city  of  Italy. 
He  has  a  brother  and  sister  in  Rome  and  equally  devoted  and 
unfailing  helpers  in  Capua,  Aquileia,  Milan,  Brundisium  and 
Naples.  He  maintains  a  road  service  of  swift  couriers  who 
bring  him  promptly  all  the  information  collected  for  him  in 
the  cities,  where  his  backers  catch  every  breeze  of  rumor  and 
are  forehanded  in  getting  advance  information  on  all  im- 
portant moves  of  the  authorities  as  well  as  in  sifting  truth 
from  falsehood.  Equally  prompt  are  his  couriers  in  dissem- 
inating to  subsidiary  bands  like  mine  whatever  he  judges  we 
should  learn;  thus  we  know  more  of  goings-on  in  Rome  and 
at  Court  than  do  provincial  nobles  and  highway-police." 

As  I  trudged  from  the  camp  to  my  horse,  as  I  trotted  home- 
wards, I  was  despondent.  I  had  no  right  to  be  so,  for  I  waa 
merely  one  of  the  innumerable  slaves  held  by  the  fiscus  as 
the  property  of  Caesar.  As  such  I  was  notably  well  off.  Even 
in  my  proper  person  I  congratulated  myself  on  my  amazing 
luck.  I  was  alive,  unsuspected,  secure,  well-housed,  well-clad, 
well-cared  for,  freer  than  many  a  freeman,  than  many  a 
nobleman,  pleasantly  busy  at  occasional  tasks  very  congenial 
to  me  and  blest  with  much  leisure  among  a  companionable 
population  in  a  lovely  region  full  of  diversified  and  charming 
scenery  set  off  by  an  exhilarating  climate ;  I  should  have  been 

gay- 
Yet  my  thoughts  were  those  of  a  Roman  nobleman.  I  was 
horrified  at  the  state  of  the  Republic.  I  knew  that  Italy  had 
never  been  entirely  free  from  outlaws.  Even  under  Tiberius 
highwaymen  had  perpetrated  successful  robberies  and  had 
captured  and  held  for  ransom  wealthy  persons  or  even  nota- 
bilities. But  under  most  of  the  Emperors  these  outrages 
had  been  few  and  had  occurred  only  in  the  wilder  districts. 
During  the  civil  wars  between  Otho  and  Vitellius  brigandage 
had  become  rife  all  over  Italy,  even  up  to  the  gates  of  Rome, 
and  Vespasian  had  had  much  ado  to  exterminate  the  out- 


THE  OUTLAWS  385 

laws.  Again,  under  Nerva,  bandits  had  multiplied  and  pros- 
pered. But  none  had  ventured  into  any  populous  district 
during  the  principates  of  Trajan,  Hadrian  and  their  suc- 
cessors until  after  the  death  of  Aurelius.  Now,  because  of  the 
negligence  of  his  son,  outlaws  had  so  prospered  that  they  had 
a  sort  of  organization  among  themselves,  like  a  commonwealth 
inside  the  Republic,  as  I  had  seen  during  my  captivity  with 
Maternus  and  now  glimpsed  again  in  Bulla's  revelations.  It 
argued  a  horrible  disintegration  of  the  governmental  mech- 
anism of  the  Republic  and  of  the  Roman  character  that  such 
things  had  become  possible. 

Equally  horrifying  to  me  was  the  contemplation  of  Caesar's 
extravagance.  I  knew  that  the  Republic's  income  from  all 
sources  was  insufficient  to  keep  up  the  court  establishment 
and  ceremonials  at  their  normal  cost;  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  state  festivals  with  befitting  magnificence  of  games  in 
the  circuses,  amphitheatres  and  theatres;  to  maintain  the 
Praetorian  guards,  city  police,  road  constabulary  and  frontier 
garrisons.  I  knew  that  all  these  branches  of  the  necessary 
structure  of  the  state  were  constantly  in  want  of  more  funds 
than  could  be  supplied  to  them.  I  knew  that  this  want  of 
supplies  crippled  our  commanders  along  the  Euphrates,  the 
Danube,  the  Rhine  and  the  Wall,  as  well  as  far  up  the  .Nile 
and  in  the  Euxine  and  made  possible  the  insolence  of  the 
Ethiopians  and  Caledonians  as  well  as  the  greater  insolence 
of  the  Parthians,  Goths  and  Germans. 

Yet,  when  conditions  so  urgently  called  for  greater  ex- 
penditures along  our  frontiers  and  for  close  economy  at 
home,  I  beheld  our  Prince  stinting  his  commanders  and  their 
heroic  legions  and  lavishing  upon  his  own  pleasure  and  the 
gratification  of  his  amazing  vanity  sums  which  would  have 
enabled  our  eagles  not  only  to  defy  all  assailants  of  our 
frontiers  but  to  humble  and  subdue  every  threatening  foe, 
even  to  penetrate  and  subjugate  Nubia,  Parthia  and  inner 
Germany.  I  sickened  at  the  thought  of  our  shame  along  the 
frontiers  as  at  the  thought  of  the  energies  of  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  hard-muscled,  bold-hearted  young  men  wasted 
on  capturing  beasts  and  the  like  energies  of  thousands  upon 


384  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

thousands  of  hardy  peasants  who  ought  to  have  been  busy  at 
productive  labor  on  farms  or  in  forests  or  mines,  wasted  on 
caring  for  and  transporting  swarms  of  beasts  for  Commodus 
to  kill. 

Those  thoughts  were  depressing.    I  could  not  banish  them. 

The  next  day  the  mood  persisted.  I  had  nothing  to  do,  did 
not  feel  like  doing  anything  in  particular  and  yet  felt  rest- 
less. The  weather  was  perfect.  I  set  off  afoot  for  a  place 
far  from  my  cottage,  not  far  enough  to  be  called  a  long 
walk,  where  a  big  gray  crag  or  small  cliff  like  an  inland 
promontory,  a  spur  of  a  forested  mountain,  towered  up  from 
the  southeastern  side  of  the  Flaminian  Highway.  At  that 
point  the  road  was  the  boundary  of  the  Imperial  estate; 
the  crag  lay  outside  it,  and,  at  that  part  of  its  foot  which  pro- 
jected farthest,  was  not  a  hundred  yards  from  the  highway. 
The  mountain  rose  a  thousand  feet  or  more  from  the  meadows 
along  the  road.  The  crag  was  full  three  hundred  feet  high. 
It  was  perfectly  possible  to  toil  up  the  steep  wooded  slope 
of  the  mountain  and  walk  out  on  either  of  two  bush-covered 
shelves  which  ran  round  the  crag.  From  the  lower  of  these, 
where  it  belted  the  front  of  the  vertical  cliff,  there  was  a 
fine  view  down  upon  the  highway  and  along  it  both  ways; 
from  the  upper  more  of  the  highway  could  be  seen;  from 
the  very  top  of  the  crag,  which  was  bare  except  for  two  clumps 
of  gnarled  trees  and  starved  bushes  near  its  brow,  the  view 
included  a  full  two  miles  of  the  highway  in  each  direction. 

I  climbed  the  slope  to  the  lower  shelf  and  esconced  myself 
where  I  was  shaded  from  the  sun  and  had  a  clear  view  of  the 
road  both  ways.  From  my  coign  I  watched  the  traffic.  I 
judged  that  the  northern  supply  of  arena-beasts  was  already 
overtaxed.  The  procession  of  wagons  was  no  longer  continu- 
ous. They  came  now  in  trains  of  a  hundred  or  so  with  some 
miles  between  the  convoys.  Just  as  I  settled  myself  no 
beast-wagons  were  in  sight,  the  road-traffic  was  normal. 
An  Imperial  courier  dashed  into  view  from  the  south,  tore 
past  at  full  gallop,  and  vanished  northwards;  three  family 
travelling  carriages,  also  bound  north,  pulling  to  the  side  of 


THE  OUTLAWS  3S5 

the  road  to  let  him  pass ;  as  did  a  train  of  a  score  of  mules 
laden  with  charcoal. 

The  first  sign  of  arena-beasts  which  I  saw  after  I  settled 
m}rself  to  watch  was  a  string  of  eight  elephants,  each  with  a 
turbaned  mahout  rocking  on  his  back,  and  seven  each  with 
his  trunk  clasping  the  tail  of  the  elephant  before  him.  This 
was  the  second  batch  of  elephants  I  had  heard  of;  the  former, 
I  had  been  told,  came  by  way  of  Ateste,  since  the  elephants 
could  swim  the  Po  and  all  the  other  rivers  had  strong  stone 
bridges.  These  looked  well  after  their  four  hundred  mile 
tramp  and  fit  for  the  hundred  and  odd  ahead  of  them.  , 

Before  they  were  out  of  sight  there  came  into  view  the 
head  of  a  column  of  wagons  which  turned  out  to  be  loaded 
with  cages  of  bears,  lynxes,  bison,  aurochs,  elk,  wolves  and 
other  northern  animals.  I  watched  them  pass  and  meditated. 
After  they  were  gone  the  road  was  normal  for  a  full  two 
hours,  during  which  I  pondered  the  thoughts  which  obsessed 
me  and  gloomed  with  shame  over  the  condition  of  the  Empire. 
I  had  brought  food  and  water  with  me  and  ate  about  noon, 
slept  an  hour  or  more  and  woke  to  watch  the  passage  of  two 
trains  of  cages  full  of  lions,  tigers,  leopards  and  panthers. 
The  second  train  was  overtaken  and  passed  by  two  Imperial 
couriers  from  the  north,  racing  each  other,  the  former  more 
than  a  half  mile  ahead  of  the  latter,  and,  apparently  length- 
ening his  lead.  I  spent  the  day  on  the  crag.  Also  I  spent 
other  days  there,  sometimes  on  one  shelf,  sometimes  on  the 
other,  sometimes  on  the  top. 

Not  many  days  elapsed  before  I  again  visited  the  outlaws' 
camp  and  had  another  chat  with  Bulla;  not  we  two  alone, 
for  there  was  always  an  easy  sociability  about  the  bandits 
and,  if  none  took  part  in  or  broke  into  their  chiefs  talk, 
usually  two  or  more  lay  or  sat  about  listening  and  sharing 
our  interview. 

In  the  course  of  our  talk  Bulla  discoursed  of  his  im- 
portance, of  the  importance  of  the  band,  of  the  warm  regard 
in  which  he  and  they  were  held  by  their  head  chief,  the  King 
of  the  Highwaymen. 


886  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Some  quirk  inside  my  head  made  me  venturesome. 

"What  is  his  name  ?"  I  queried.    "You  never  name  him." 

"His  orders  I"  Bulla  snapped.  "I  know  his  name;  not 
another  man  of  our  band  knows  it.  He  never  uses  it  and 
takes  great  pains  to  keep  all  outsiders  who  know  his  name 
from  suspecting  that  he  is  King  of  the  Highwaymen;  and 
similarly  to  make  sure  that  all  outsiders  who  know  him  as 
King  of  the  Highwaymen  get  no  inkling  of  his  name.  If 
the  knowledge  got  abroad  the  usefulness  to  him  of  his  brother 
and  sister  in  Rome  would  be  destroyed/' 

I  apologized  for  my  question. 

"No  harm  done,"  Bulla  smiled.  "I  don't  have  to  answer 
any  questions  unless  I  want  to,  and  I  don't  mind  questions 
from  you/' 

"If  you  don't/5  I  pursued,  emboldened,  "perhaps  you'll  be 
willing  to  explain  how  it  can  be  that  your  king  holds  you 
and  your  band  in  such  high  esteem,  whereas,  to  all  appear- 
ances, you  have  not  acquired  a  sesterce-worth  of  loot  since 
long  before  I  reached  this  neighborhood ;  in  fact,  as  far  as  I 
can  hear,  have  not  succeeded  in  robbing  anyone  since  you. 
located  your  camp  here?" 

"I  am  perfectly  willing  to  explain/'  laughed  Bulla,  look- 
ing more  formidable  when  he  smiled  or  laughed  than  when 
expressionless.  "We  are  no  cheap  bandits  to  rob  market- 
women,  poor  farmers,  ordinary  travellers  or  such  small  fry. 
We  angle  for  bigger  fish.  We  bide  our  time.  We  are  here  to 
make  three  big  strokes  and  then  a  quick  disappearance.  Once 
we  have  our  hands  on  our  chosen  prisoners  to  be  held  for 
ransom  we  shall  be  off  for  the  mountain  heights  and  the 
thickest  forests;  once  we  have  the  booty  we  hope  for,  those 
in  charge  of  it  will  ride  fast  and  far  and  get  clear  out  of 
this  part  of  Italy.  Is  that  intelligible?" 

"Entirely,"  said  I,  and  was  mute. 

Bulla  gazed  at  me  almost  genially. 

"I  don't  in  the  least  mind  telling  you,"  he  said,  "just 
what  we  are  waiting  for.  Half  the  countryside  knows  and 
are  alert  to  help  us  all  they  know  how. 

"In  the  first  place  we  have  word  of  a  big  consignment  of 


THE  OUTLAWS  387 

gold  on  the  way  to  Rome;  ingots  from  the  mines  in  the 
•mountains  of  Noricum,  nuggets  and  dust  washed  from  the 
rivers  of  Dacia  and  Pannonia  and  Moesia.  Of  course  it  is  in 
charge  of  a  wary  official  and  has  a  strong  guard,  but  we  have 
good  hopes  of  getting  it.  If  we  do,  it  will  be  the  biggest  haul 
that  any  of  our  bands  ever  made,  and  that  he  has  put  me 
here  to  try  for  it  is  proof  of  my  King's  esteem  for  me. 

"In  the  second  place  a  wealthy  senator,  just  the  right  man 
to  capture  and  hold  for  ransom,  is  coming  up  from  Eome  in 
charge  of  a  big  chest  of  gold  coin  to  be  paid  out  by  the 
administrators  of  Asia  and  Macedonia  and  Achaia.  He  him- 
self is  going  out  as  proprator  of  Asia.  With  him  is  a 
wealthy  widow,  going  north  to  be  married  at  Aquileia,  and 
taking  with  her  a  big  jewel-chest  full  of  the  finest  and  largest 
gems  in  the  most  magnificent  settings.  So  we  have  in  pros- 
pect three  prisoners  for  ransom  and  three  rich  treasures. 

"The  difficulty  is  that  it  will  be  almost  impossible  to  make 
both  captures.  If  we  nab  the  propra?tor  and  widow,  with 
the  coin  and  gems,  the  rumor  or  report  of  it  is  almost  certain 
to  warn  the  procurator  with  the  raw  gold  so  that  he  will 
elude  us.  Similarly  if  we  get  him,  news  of  our  presence 
will  most  likely  reach  and  alarm  the  proprastor  and  the 
widow.  If  one  comes  ten  days  or  even  five  before  the  other 
we  can  scarcely  hope  for  complete  success.  If  fewer  days  in- 
tervene we  might  get  both.  I  am  here  to  get  both.  The  King 
thinks  me  capable  of  the  feat.  His  instructions  are  that,  in 
case  I  judge  that  I  can  get  but  one,  I  am  to  try  for  the 
procurator  and  his  gold,  as  it  is  estimated  that  his  gold  ia 
worth  at  least  twice  the  coin  and  gems  together,  even  adding 
the  possible  ransoms  of  the  widow  and  the  proprator. 

"I  am  hoping  they  will  come  only  a  day  apart  or  even  the 
same  day;  all  our  couriers  with  letters  about  the  progress 
of  the  gold  convoy  and  the  widow's  preparations  indicate  that 
they  will  reach  this  part  of  the  road  at  about  the  same  time. 
They  might  meet  each  other  right  here  where  we  want  them 
together.  I  keep  nursing  that  hope. 

"Now  you  know  as  much  as  you  need  to  know  about 
plans, " 


388  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

I  thanked  him  and  marvelled  at  his  frankness.  But,  as 
I  rode  home,  I  reflected  that  thinking  me  the  Imperial  slave 
I  appeared,  he  thought  me  certain  to  be  secret  and,  if  pos- 
sible, helpful. 

I  spent  the  next  day  and  the  next  on  my  crag,  watching 
the  fascinating  spectacle  afforded  by  the  highway. 

On  the  third  day  the  Villicus  chided  me  for  having  told 
my  name  to  the  sub-procurator  after  I  had  recaged  the 
panther. 

"An  Imperial  courier  has  just  passed,"  he  said.  "Tie  is 
a  close  friend  of  a  trusty  friend  of  mine  in  Eome.  Like 
most  couriers  he  is  obliging  and  will  carry  letters  for  his 
friends,  even  packets.  He  dropped  here  a  note  for  me,  warn- 
ing me  that  I  am  likely  to  lose  you.  My  friend  is  a  crony 
of  some  of  the  upper  slaves  in  the  Palace  and  of  others  in  the 
[Beast  Barracks. 

"Your  manumission,  which  was  urged  by  the  aldermen 
of  Nuceria,  has  been  favorably  reported  and  may  be  ordered. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  procurator  in  charge  of  the  reserves 
of  arena-beasts  has  heard  of  you  and  vows  he  must  have  you 
for  service  in  or  for  the  Colosseum.  I  am  likely  to  lose  you 
either  way.  I  don't  mind  your  manumission ;  I'll  wager  that 
I  can  induce  you  to  stay  on  as  you  are.  But  I  am  all 
worked  up  over  the  prospect  of  a  requisition  for  you  from 
the  Beast  Barracks.  If  one  comes  it  will  be  your  fault." 

I  told  him  I  was  more  stirred  up  about  it  than  he  was; 
that  I  should  hate  to  leave  him  and  loathed  the  very  idea 
of  being  cooped  up  in  Eome  amid  fetid  cages;  caring  for 
lions  and  such  like.  We  thoroughly  understood  each  other, 
and  he  said: 

"I'll  have  to  manage  to  report  you  killed,  if  the  requisition 
comes.  I'm  determined  to  keep  you.  I'll  have  to  set  my 
wits  to  work  to  arrange  for  it/' 

I  hoped  he  might,  but  I  felt  nervous.  I  dreaded  being 
dragged  to  Eome  and  recalled  the  prophecy  of  the  Aemilian 
Sibyl.  I  had  a  feeling  that  to  Eome  I  was  going,  my  situa- 
tion was  too  good  to  last.  I  thought  of  leaving  Septima  with 
much  regret.  Not  that  I  loved  her  or  even  cared  for  her:; 


THE  OUTLAWS  389 

but  she  was  a  girl  no  man  could  but  respect  and  admire  and 
wish  well  to.  If  I  must  leave  her  I  resolved  to  leave  her  as 
well  off  as  I  could. 

Making  sure  that  I  was  far  from  any  human  being  and 
unobserved  I  opened  my  amulet-bag,  looked  over  the  gems 
it  contained,  selected  a  medium-sized  emerald  of  perfect 
color,  sewed  it  into  the  hem  of  my  tunic  and  sewed  up  the 
amulet-bag  with  the  rest  of  the  gems  inside  it. 

At  the  first  opportunity,  I  revisited  the  outlaws'  camp, 
with  the  usual  precautions,  and  found  Bulla  idle  and  genial. 
I  told  him  I  needed  cash,  all  the  cash  I  could  get,  and  had  an 
emerald  I  thought  would  be  worth  a  noble  store  of  gold 
and  silver  coin. 

"Show  it  to  me  I"  he  commanded. 

I  took  out  my  sheath-knife,  ripped  the  emerald  out  of  its 
hiding-place  and  passed  it  to  him. 

He  conned  it. 

"You  are  right,  brother/'  he  said;  "this  is  a  fine  gem.  I 
tell  you  what  I'll  do.  I'll  ride,  myself,  to  Sentinum  and 
exchange  this  for  cash,  part  gold  and  part  silver.  Sentinum 
seems  an  unlikely  place  in  which  to  find  a  cash  purchaser  for 
a  gem  like  this,  but  our  King  has  a  friend  there  who  acts 
as  his  agent  in  several  respects;  among  others  he  keeps  cash 
in  hand  to  exchange  any  time  for  precious  loot;  especially 
jewelry.  He'll  hand  me  the  cash  without  hesitation. 

"But  if  I  am  to  do  it  for  you,  you  must  agree  in  advance 
to  accept  his  valuation  of  the  jewel  and  to  divide  with  me, 
share  and  share  alike,  whatever  he  pays  me  for  your  emerald. 
In  a  case  like  this  I  charge  half  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  as 
my  commission  for  making  the  deal  and  as  my  fee  for  my 
time,  risk  and  trouble.  Do  you  agree  ?" 

"Certainly,"  I  said,  "and  I  am  amazed  at  your  offer.  How 
can  you  be  away  three  days  or  more  at  this  juncture?  Might 
not  your  prizes:  procurator,  propraetor,  widow,  jewels,  coin 
and  gold  all  slip  through  your  hands  during  your  absence  in 
my  behalf?" 

"No  fear,  lad!"  he  laughed;  "our  advices  never  deceive 
us.  The  procurator  with  his  gold  is  far  away  and  approach- 


390  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

ing  slowly;  neither  the  widow  nor  the  propraetor  is  ready 
to  leave  Home;  both  are  occupied  with  endless  preparations. 
I  have  plenty  of  time.  And  it  won't  take  me  any  three  days 
to  reach  Sentinum  and  return.  Fll  set  off  at  sunset.  About 
the  third  hour  tomorrow  I'll  be  at  Sentinum,  my  mount  lath- 
ered and  blown,  but  far  from  used  up ;  about  the  ninth  hour 
I'll  pass  out  of  one  of  the  gates  of  Sentinum  on  my  return, 
completely  refreshed  myself  and  with  my  mount  fit  for  the 
return  journey:  I'll  be  here  in  camp  at  dawn  day  after  to- 
morrow, with  the  coin  bags.  You  can  come  for  your  cash  any 
time  after  the  third  hour  day  after  tomorrow.  Is  it  a  bar- 
gain?" 

"Done!"  said  I. 

"Then  get  home,"  he  said.  "If  I'm  to  go  two  nights  with- 
out sleep  I'll  give  orders  now,  post  my  out-pickets  and  what 
not  and  snooze  till  dusk." 

I  spent  the  next  day  on  my  crag.  Several  trains  of  wagons 
with  arena-beasts  passed,  but  they  were  farther  apart  than 
ten  days  before.  The  other  traffic  on  the  road  was  normal. 

Next  day,  not  long  after  the  third  hour,  I  was  in  the 
outlaws'  camp.  Bulla  I  found  awake  and  with  no  signs  of 
drowsiness  or  fatigue.  In  full  sight  of  all  of  his  men  he 
spread  a  blanket,  and,  on  it  placed  four  coin-bags,  two  small 
and  two  full  size.  From  the  larger  he  spilt  their  contents  on 
the  blanket  and,  each  of  us  taking  a  bag,  we  picked  up  thtf 
silver  one  piece  at  a  time,  both  keeping  count  together 
There  was  an  odd  piece. 

"It's  yours,  lad!"  said  Bulla.    "I've  enough  here." 

The  gold  pieces  similarly  spilled  and  counted,  came  out 
even. 

"Are  you  satisfied?"  Bulla  queried. 

"Both  with  the  amount  and  the  division,"  I  replied,  "and 
now  I'll  be  off.  You  must  need  sleep." 

"Sit  still !"  Bulla  commanded. 

He  rose  and  went  into  his  tent,  for  the  outlaws  had  ex- 
cellent hide  tents.  He  returned  with  a  fine  new  coin-belt  of 
pigskin  leather. 

"Here,"  he  said  as  he  squatted  down  and  handed  it  to  me, 


THE  POINT  OF  VIEW  391 

"is  a  little  gift  from  Bulla.  Wear  it  next  your  skin.  And 
remember  to  keep  it  flat  and  loose.  Many  a  man  has  lost 
his  life  with  his  coin  in  a  tight  place  because  a  bulging  belt 
betrayed  him  to  greedy  ruffians.  My  lads  will  respect  you, 
but  you  may  encounter  bandits  who  have  no  inkling  that  you 
are  under  my  protection.  Don't  attempt  to  carry  too  much, 
of  your  coin  about  your  waist." 
I  thanked  him  and  tramped  off. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE  POINT  OF  VIEW 

THAT  evening,  after  our  dinner,  a  perfect  dinner  eaten 
under  a  grape-arbor,  lingering  over  the  fruit  and  honey 
in  the  mingled  light  of  waning  dusk  and  a  clear  crescent 
moon,  I  showed  Septima  my  belt  and  bags,  put  in  the  belt 
what  silver  would  fill  it  to  a  flaccid  and  comfortable  flatness, 
and  gave  her  all  the  gold  and  the  rest  of  the  silver.  I  had 
already  explained  to  her  what  impended  over  us,  and  had  em- 
phasized my  wish  to  remain  with  her  and  my  anxiety  to  know 
that  she  was  provided  for,  if  we  were  to  be  separated. 

I  did  not  visit  the  post  of  the  road-constabulary  as  often 
as  the  camp  of  the  outlaws.  Next  day  I  rode  over  to  their 
post  and  chatted  with  one  of  the  sergeants  and  several  of 
the  men.  They  were  in  doubt  between  two  opinions:  most 
held  that  their  presence  in  the  district  had  frightened  the 
bandits  away  and  that  they  had  left  the  neighborhood  and 
transferred  their  attention  to  a  wholly  different  region;  only 
a  few  maintained  the  view  that  the  brigands  had  been  lurk- 
ing near  from  before  their  arrival  and  that  all  their  efforts 
had  failed  to  locate  their  hiding  place.  I  heard  nothing 
which  led  me  to  believe  that  they  had  any  inkling  of  the  loca- 
tion of  the  outlaws'  camp,  of  their  purposes,  or  of  their 
intended  coup. 

After  a  day  of  happy  idling  on  my  crag  I  visited  Bulla. 
He  was  gay. 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"It  promises  well/'  he  volunteered.  "The  procurator  and 
his  gold  are  well  on  this  side  of  Ariminum  and  the  proprsetor 
and  widow  left  Borne  yesterday.  They'll  be  here  within 
Jwo  days  of  each  other,  if  he  holds  the  rate  he  has  kept 
all  the  way  from  Bononia  and  they  travel  as  such  luxurious 
folks  generally  do.  Come  over  as  often  as  you  like.  No 
one  will  suspect  you  or  follow  you.  I'll  keep  you  posted  as 
to  what  our  advices  promise  us.  You  may  be  able  to  help 

T1S." 

By  this  time  I  was  so  interested  in  Bulla  and  his  plans 
that  I  oscillated  between  my  crag,  the  outlaws'  camp  and 
the  constabulary  post,  with  no  more  other  occupations  than 
what  I  judged  absolutely  needful  to  forestall  any  unwelcome 
interest  in  my  doings  and  the  possibility  of  too  many  persons 
knowing  of  my  visits  to  the  outlaws. 

When  next  I  visited  them  Bulla  told  me  that  something 
had  alarmed  the  procurator.  Either  some  rumor  of  their 
presence  along  the  road  had  reached  him  or  he  knew  of  the 
bad  reputation  of  the  stretch  of  the  Flaminian  Highway 
through  the  Umbrian  mountains  between  Forum  Sempronii 
and  Nuceria,  which  it  had  acquired  some  years  before  when 
the  King  of  the  Highwaymen  himself  had  made  on  it  a 
succession  of  valuable  captures  which  had  yielded  him 
princely  booty  and  the  reports  of  which  had  spread  all  over 
Italy.  Anyhow  their  advices  informed  them  that  he  had 
packed  his  bullion-chests  with  stones  and  old-iron  and  had 
parcelled  out  his  packets  of  dust  and  nuggets  among  the 
wagons  of  a  long  train  of  arena-beasts. 

"We'll  fool  him!"  Bulla  boasted.  "We'll  nab  him  and 
hold  him  for  a  big  ransom.  Also  we'll  not  only  make  sure 
of  his  bullion  chests  in  case  our  information  is  false,  or 
based  on  an  intentional  rumor  he  has  given  out  as  a  blind; 
but  we'll  get  that  bullion,  too,  if  it  is  not  in  the  chests,  but 
hidden  in  the  wagons  in  the  guise  of  dusty  packets  of 
provender  for  the  draft-cattle  or  of  meat  for  the  caged  beasts. 
We'll  get  it!" 

From  his  mention  of  the  wagons  we  fell  into  talk  of  the 
increasing  difficulty  of  getting  fresh  meat  for  the  lions  and 


THE  POINT  OF  VIEW  393 

other  beasts,  of  the  depletion  of  the  flocks  and  herds  along 
the  roads  from  Aquileia  to  Eome;  and  he  told  me  that  his 
advices  reported  that  the  whole  country  near  the  highways 
was  already  swept  clean  of  all  goats,  sheep  and  cattle,  except 
breeding  stock,  milch  stock  and  their  choicest  young  kept 
for  breeding.  The  inhabitants  could  get  no  beef,  mutton  or 
goats'  flesh  for  themselves;  all  had  gone  into  the  maws  of 
hyenas,  tigers,  wolves  and  the  rest;  and  the  procurators 
were  insisting  on  the  farmers  selling  their  kids,  lambs,  calves, 
ewes  and  cows-in-milk,  any  stock,  even  mules  and  horses; 
any  animals  fit  to  butcher  for  lion-food. 

From  this  we  came  round  to  chatting  of  my  talks  with 
the  teamsters  and  of  my  prospect  from  my  crag.  I  had 
told  Bulla  of  the  crag  long  before,  but  he  did  not  seem  to 
have  taken  in  the  idea.  Now  he  was  delighted. 

"If  I'd  paid  attention  to  you  soon  enough,"  he  said,  "I'd 
have  put  in  a  day  or  two  with  you  watching  the  show.  It's 
too  late  now.  Our  prayed  for  chances  are  coming  soon,  and 
not  far  apart." 

Next  day  he  was  gleeful. 

"It's  all  going  to  work  out  like  the  end  of  a  theater-play," 
be  said.  "The  procurator  and  the  propraetor  and  his  charge 
are  practically  certain  to  come  along  tomorrow  afternoon. 
I  calculate  that  they  will  meet  not  far  south  of  your  crag. 
I've  planned  to  post  one  ambush  near  the  foot  of  your  crag, 
just  south  of  it,  another  at  a  judicious  interval  down  the 
road  nearer  Kome.  I'll  have  'em  between  the  two  ambushes 
about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  or  between  that  and  sun- 
set. We'll  nab  all  three  ransom  prizes  at  once  and  we'll  lay 
our  hands  on  the  jewels,  coin  and  gold  almost  at  the  same 
instant.  I've  arranged  to  lead  the  constables  off  on  a  false 
scent  about  noon  and  they'll  be  miles  away  up  a  lonely  cross- 
road when  we  pull  oil  our  coup.  We'll  make  our  getaway, 
with  the  swag,  hours  before  they  can  get  wind  of  the  occur- 
rence and  follow  on  our  trail.  We'll  have  a  long  start  of 
them. 

"You.  can  watch  the  whole  thing  from  your  crag.  This 
ideal  weather  is  going  to  last  many  days  yet.  And  the  moon 


394  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

will  be  full  two  nights  from  now,  so  its  light  will  help  us 
two  nights  on  our  getaway.  I  envy  you  up  on  that  crag 
watching  the  show,  comfortable  as  a  senator  at  a  theater, 
aloft  like  Jupiter  on  Olympus  in  the  Iliad/' 

Next  day  I  made  sure  that  the  VilUcus  would  not  want 
me,  had  Septima  put  up  for  me  an  abundant  supply  of  her 
inviting  food  and  set  off  about  the  middle  of  the  morning 
for  my  crag,  on  foot,  of  course.  I  climbed  to  the  very  top 
and  ensconced  myself  under  and  among  sheltering  bushes 
eo  that  I  was  certain  that  I  could  not  be  seen  from  the 
road  in  either  direction,  yet  could  view  it  both  ways  as  far  as 
the  horizon,  except  just  at  the  foot  of  the  crag  and  where, 
in  the  distance,  hilltops  hid  the  hollows  behind  them.  Close 
by  me  I  placed  my  precious  kidskin  of  much  watered  wine, 
I  might  say  of  water  flavored  with  wine,  so  that  it  would 
keep  cool  in  the  thickest  shade.  The  day  was  hot,  clear 
and  still  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  fierce.  The  occasional  slight 
breezes  were  very  welcome. 

The  outlook  was  really  magnificent;  a  broad  prospect  of 
rolling  pasturage,  hilly  pasturage,  and  wooded  mountains; 
the  grass-lands  and  grassy  hillsides  diversified  by  scattered 
trees,  clumps  of  trees  and  small  groves;  the  lower  levels  of 
woodland  broken  by  grassy  glades;  the  brighter  green  of  the 
forests  of  chestnut,  beech,  and  oak  merging  imperceptibly 
into  the  darker  green  of  the  pine-forests;  the  score  of  farms 
in  sight  brilliant  in  the  green  landscapes  like  semi-jewels; 
all  the  wide  prospect  glowing  under  a  deep  blue  sky,  varied 
by  a  very  few  very  white  clouds,  the  intense  sunlight  beating 
down  on  everything.  It  was  a  perfect  summer  day. 

I  conned  the  road,  on  which  I  saw  only  the  rear  of  a  col- 
umn of  wagons  convoying  arena-beasts  receding  over  the 
hilltops  to  southwards,  and  the  normal  traffic,  horsemen  or 
two-horse  carriages  or  wagons  far  apart  and  few.  I  dozed. 

I  must  have  slept  a  full  hour.  I  waked  hot,  but  much 
refreshed,  feeling  lively  and  full  of  interest  in  what  was 
to  come.  Just  after  I  waked  I  saw  the  constabulary,  the 
officers  and  about  a  third  of  the  men  on  horseback,  the  rest 
afoot,  come  up  the  road  from  the  direction  of  their  post, 


THE  POINT  OF  VIEW  395 

which  was  south  of  the  crag.  The  infantrymen  tramped 
their  fastest  and  the  mounted  men  kept  pace  with  them. 
They  were  evidently  off  on  their  wild-goose  chase.  As  they 
came  into  sight  below  me,  after  passing  my  perch,  I  watched 
them  double-quick  northwards  and  wheel  to  their  right  into 
the  first  crossroad.  They  were  barely  out  of  sight  among 
the  forested  hills  when  I  saw  momentarily,  on  the  Highway, 
fully  four  miles  to  northward,  on  a  sunlit  hilltop,  what  I 
took  to  be  the  first  wagon  of  a  train  of  teams  drawing  cages 
of  arena-beasts.  I  watched  the  road  in  that  direction. 
What  I  saw  confirmed  my  conjecture.  Soon  the  road  to 
northward  was  filled  from  its  farthest  visible  hilltop  to  just 
below  my  crag  with  wagon-teams  such  as  I  had  many  times 
watched  transporting  cages  of  lions,  tigers,  leopards,  panthers 
and  the  like.  I  made  out  also  some  cages  which  I  was  cer- 
tain contained  hyenas. 

Every  little  while  I  glanced  the  other  way.  Just  as  the 
first  wagons  of  the  long  train  vanished  from  my  sight  into 
that  section  of  the  road  immediately  below  me  where  my  crag 
hid  it  from  my  view,  I  saw  appear  on  a  hilltop  to  south- 
wards what  I  made  sure  was  the  travelling  carriage  of  a 
wealthy  noble.  I  conjectured  that  it  had  inside  of  it  the 
ransomable  propraetor.  I  kept  my  eyes  on  the  road  in  that 
direction,  only  glancing  northward  from  time  to  time.  One 
such  glance  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  travelling  carriage  among 
the  beast-wagons;  probably  the  procurator  in  charge  of  the 
bullion. 

After  I  had  caught  glimpses  of  it  on  several  successive 
hilltops  the  proprastor's  carriage  was  near  enough,  on  one 
of  them,  for  me  to  recognize  it.  Of  course,  I  had  known 
from  childhood  the  travelling  carriages  of  our  senate  and 
nobility.  As  everybody  knows,  each  has  a  certain  unmis- 
takable individuality.  Our  makers  of  travelling  carriages 
never  make  two  precisely  alike,  and,  what  is  more,  the  tastes 
of  different  families  are  so  different  that  patterns  are  very 
unlike.  I  recognized  the  carriage  for  that  of  Faltonius 
Bambilio. 

Why  he  was  going  out  as  propraetor  of  Asia  so  long  after 


396  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

his  term  as  praetor  was  a  puzzle  to  me.  I  accepted  it  as  one 
of  the  countless  eccentricities  of  Imperial  administration 
under  Commodus.  The  irregularities  of  the  management 
of  the  provinces  ruled  in  the  name  of  Caesar  by  prefects  and 
procurators  had  notoriously  extended  to  the  provinces  ruled 
by  proconsuls  and  propraetors  in  the  name  of  the  senate.  I 
had  always  disliked,  despised  and  even  hated  Bambilio  for 
his  pomposity,  self-esteem  and  bad  manners.  I  rejoiced  at 
the  opportunity  to  look  on  at  his  capture. 

It  was  by  this  time  past  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  the 
day  still  surpassingly  fair  and  lovely,  with  few  clouds  in 
the  sky,  a  steady  light  breeze,  the  mellow  afternoon  sunlight 
bathing  the  world  and  the  sun  already  visibly  declining  to- 
wards the  western  horizon. 

While  I  was  grinning  at  my  thoughts  and  watching  the 
advance  of  Bambilio's  carriage,  glancing  back  at  intervals  at 
the  beast-train  and  the  procurator's  coach,  I  caught  sight,  on 
the  highway  behind  Bambilio's  carriage,  of  another  travel- 
ling carriage  of  which  I  had  descried  no  glimpse  before, 
though  I  must  have  missed  seeing  it  as  it  topped  several 
hills  further  south.  When  I  caught  sight  of  it,  it  was  near 
enough  for  me  to  recognize  it  at  first  view. 

Vedia's  travelling  coach! 

Between  the  first  and  second  beat  of  my  thumping  heart, 
I  went  through  an  amazing  variety  of  complex,  shifting 
and  lucid  thinking.  And  my  thinking,  multifold  and  effec- 
tive as  it  was,  was  but  as  a  chip  on  the  surface  of  a  freshet 
in  a  mountain  gorge  amid  the  torrent  of  emotions  which 
inundated  me. 

Since  I  had  begun  to  mend  as  the  result  of  the  succour 
and  medication  of  old  Chryseros  Philargyrus  I  had  resolutely 
refrained  from  thinking  of  Vedia.  I  had  argued  with  myself 
that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  forget  or  ignore  the  daily 
and  hourly  contrasts  between  my  former  status  as  a  wealthy 
nobleman  and  my  present  condition  as  a  fugitive  always 
in  danger  and  generally  in  acute  discomfort.  Amid  the 
inevitable  resultant  depression  I  might  keep  alive,  healthy 
and  sane  if  I  concentrated  my  thoughts  on  self-congratulation 


THE  POINT  OF  VIEW  397 

at  my  survival.  If  I  dwelt  on  my  downfall  I  should  lose 
my  wits.  If,  in  addition  to  thoughts  of  my  loss  of  rank, 
wealth,  friends  and  ease  I  yielded  to  my  inclination  to  brood 
over  my  loss  of  Vedia,  I  should  infallibly  go  insane.  I  reso- 
lutely put  thoughts  of  her  away.  I  succeeded  in  keeping 
them  away.  During  my  winter  at  the  hut  in  the  mountains, 
during  my  succeeding  adventures,  I  had  not  thought  of 
Yedia ;  thoughts  of  her  had  crossed  my  mind  but  seldom  and 
fleetingly. 

Now,  all  at  once,  I  was  overwhelmed  by  the  realization  of 
how  ardently,  how  unalterably  I  loved  her,  how  keenly  I 
longed  for  her,  how  tenderly  I  felt  towards  her.  Nothing, 
past,  present  or  future,  mattered  to  me  except  Vedia  and 
her  welfare.  I  had  been  thinking  with  relished  amusement 
of  the  dismay  of  some  pampered  beauty  haled  from  her 
luxurious  coach  and  off  through  the  wild  mountains,  im- 
mured in  some  lonely  cave  in  the  forests,  guarded  by  coarse 
ruffians,  reduced  to  the  most  primitive  diet  and  bedding, 
forced  to  endure  all  sorts  of  discomforts,  and  threatened 
with  death  or  worse  if  an  enormous  ransom  were  not  forth- 
coming promptly.  I  had  been  chuckling  at  the  prospect  of 
getting  a  far-off  glimpse  of  the  first  act  of  this  comedy. 

My  revulsion  of  feeling  was  dazing.  I  was  hot  and  cold 
with  horror  at  the  thought  of  Vedia's  agony,  terror  and  mis- 
ery and  of  her  danger  among  Bulla's  swarthy,  brutal  ruf- 
fians with  their  black  curly  hair  and  beards  intensifying 
the  villainy  of  their  lowering  faces,  with  their  mighty  hands 
always  close  to  their  daggers.  Yedia  I  must  save! 

How? 

Almost  as  I  recognized  her  carriage,  my  eyes,  instinctively 
sweeping  my  entire  outlook,  caught  sight  of  Selinus  feeding 
among  a  small  herd  of  young  mares  on  a  hillside  midway 
of  the  extensive  pasture  on  the  other  side  of  the  road  just 
to  north  of  my  crag.  I  knew  there  was,  a  little  to  the  north 
of  the  crag,  on  the  same  side  of  the  road,  a  knoll  from  which 
that  bit  of  hillside  was  plainly  visible  at  no  great  distance. 
I  had  my  plan  worked  out  in  all  its  details. 

I  drank  all  I  could  hold  of  my  watered  wine,  left  my 


398  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

cloak  by  the  kidskin,  tucked  a  small  packet  of  food  into  my 
belt-wallet,  and  raced  down  the  steep  slope  of  the  mountain- 
side to  the  north  of  the  crag,  leaping  from  rock  to  rock  under 
the  huge  forest  trees.  I  reached  the  gentler  slopes  near  the 
highway  and  gained  the  top  of  the  knoll.  Selinus  was  in 
plain  view,  grazing  among  his  brides,  and  by  good  luck,  all 
were  headed  towards  me.  I  stood  on  the  summit  of  the 
knoll  and  waved  my  arms.  Selinus  caught  sight  of  me  and 
galloped  joyously  down  the  slope  of  the  pasture  towards  me. 
When  he  wa£  near  I  ran  towards  him  down  the  slope  of  the 
knoll,  being  careful  that  he  should  not  lose  sight  of  me. 
My  luck  held  and  he  and  I  approached  the  highway  and  each 
other  where  there  was  a  comfortable  interval  between  the 
lion's  cage  on  the  wagon  which  had  been  passing  when  I 
topped  the  knoll  and  the  leading  yoke  of  the  team  tugging 
the  wagon  next  behind.  The  wind,  also,  was  towards  me,  so 
that  Selinus  did  not  smell  the  lions  till  he  and  I  met  in  the 
highway  and  I  had  mounted  him.  Like  a  hunting  dog 
bounding  over  a  fallen  tree  Selinus  had  leapt  the  tall  thorn 
'hedge  which  bordered  the  highway  to  keep  stock  off  it  and 
in  the  meadow. 

Once  I  was  on  his  back  we  set  off  northward  at  full  gallop, 
which  almost  at  once  quickened  into  a  maddened  run.  He 
had  shied  violently  as  we  passed  the  first  cage  and  he  winded 
the  lion  in  it,  but  I  stuck  on  him.  Also  I  stuck  on  at  each 
less  violent  sideways  lurch  as  we  passed  cage  after  cage: 
tiger,  panther,  leopard,  hyenas  or  lion;  all  smelt  equally 
terrifying  to  him,  but  he  only  ran  faster  and  his  terror  went 
into  speed  ahead  rather  than  into  leaps  aside. 

When  we  reached  the  crossroad,  up  which  the  constabulary 
had  turned,  the  procurator's  carriage  was  still  somewhere  up 
the  highway;  I  had  not  seen  it  since  I  left  the  top  of  the 
crag.  The  train  of  beast-wagons  seemed  endless. 

Into  the  crossroad  we  turned  and  up  it  Selinus  tore.  I 
chuckled.  No  road-police,  no  matter  how  young,  nimble  and 
long-winded,  could  maintain  a  double-quick  any  distance  on 
that  up-slope.  Selinus  mounted  the  hills  like  a  grayhound 


THE  POINT  OF  VIEW  399 

after  a  hare.  We  were  sure  to  overtake  the  detachment  soon. 
They  could  not  have  gone  far. 

Overtake  them  we  did  and  the  maddened  run  at  which 
Selinus  scaled  those  steep  hills  caught  their  officer's  attention. 
I  had  rehearsed  what  I  meant  to  say  and  wasted  no  words. 
What  I  said  conveyed  the  whole  situation  to  him. 

"We  are  too  few  horsemen  to  overcome  them/5  he  said,  "but 
we  can  scare  them  from  their  hooty  and  maybe  from  their 
captives.  We'll  ride  our  fastest  and  we  have  time  to  reach 
them  before  they  are  thinking  of  flight.  The  complete  sur- 
prise will  save  the  jewels,  coin  and  gold  and  most  likely  the 
lady  and  the  officials. 

"But  you  fellows  must  double-quick  after  us  to  support  us 
in  case  they  recover  from  their  amazement,  rally  and  round 
on  us  from  some  near  vantage-ground.  You  can  retrace  your 
steps  in  a  tenth  of  the  time  it  took  us  to  reach  here.  Eace ! 

"And  you,  Felix,  give  me  that  racer  of  yours.  Fall  in  with 
the  men.  Here  Caius,  give  Felix  your  saddle  and  bridle. 
Your  mare  is  giving  out.  Felix,  saddle  and  bridle  your 
horse  for  me.  Caius,  take  my  horse/' 

In  a  moment  I  was  afoot  among  the  infantry  constables, 
the  officer  was  in  the  saddle  on  Selinus,  the  reins  in  his  hands, 
and  the  horsemen  were  off  at  a  tearing  gallop,  with  us  foot- 
men after  them  at  a  run  which  carried  us  almost  by  leaps 
down  the  steep  slope. 

When  we  reached  the  highway  neither  the  mounted  police 
nor  any  outlaws  were  anywhere  in  sight.  But  it  was  plain 
that  more  time  than  I  had  realized  had  elapsed  since  I  vaulted 
on  Selinus.  Not  only  was  the  sun  near  the  horizon,  but  the 
bandits  had  evidently  been  further  up  the  road  than  this.  For 
an  instant  I  marvelled  that  they  had  come  this  far  at  all  when 
both  their  ambushes  were  south  of  the  crag.  Then  I  realized 
that  they  had  been  searching  the  wagons  for  the  bullion. 
Every  wagon  was  stalled,  half  were  overset,  the  tongue-yoke 
of  each  was  hamstrung,  every  cage  was  empty,  not  a  lion, 
tiger  or  leopard,  panther  or  hyena  to  be  seen ;  all,  apparently, 
let  out  that  their  cages  might  be  ransacked.  I  conjectured 


400  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

that  letting  them  out  had  taken  less  time  than  it  would 
taken  to  kill  them. 

Panting,  sweating,  nearing  exhaustion,  we  hastened  along 
the  highway  at  a  jolting  run  not  much  faster  than  the  quick 
walk  of  untired  men,  but  our  best  speed.  We  passed  scores 
of  stalled  wagons,  every  cage  empty,  two  hamstrung  oxen 
or  mules  or  even  horses  lying  in  agony  before  each  wagon, 
the  rest  of  the  cattle  either  loosed  and  gone  or  held  fast  by  the 
stalled  wagons  behind  them.  We  saw  not  one  teamster,  not 
one  beast.  The  long  series  of  stalled  wagons,  with  their 
hamstrung  or  stalled  cattle  and  empty  cages  extended  to  the 
foot  of  the  crag  and  beyond  it.  Beyond  it  we  came  on  the 
procurator's  carriage,  empty;  no  horse  to  it  or  by  it.  Still 
we  had  seen  no  human  being.  j 

A  half-mile  further,  midway  of  a  flat  stretch  of  road,  Oil 
one  side  of  which  was  an  expanse  of  swampy  ground,  varied 
with  pools  bordered  by  sedge,  reeds  and  bushes,  with  areas 
of  tussocks  and  with  clumps  of  willows  and  alders,  we  came 
on  Bambilio's  and  Vedia's  carriages,  their  gilded  decorative 
carvings,  coral-red  panel-bars,  pearl-shell  panel-panes,  gilded 
rosette-bosses,  silver-plated  hubs  and  gilded  spokes  and  fellies 
glittering  in  the  late  sunshine. 

His  coach  was  without  any  sign  of  a  horse  near  it,  hers 
with  all  four  hamstrung;  their  white  leather  harness,  with  its 
gold  and  silver  bosses,  horridly  stained  with  the  blood  they 
had  spattered  all  over  them  as  they  lay  struggling  and  trying 
to  kick.  Both  carriages  were  empty,  their  cushions  and  mat- 
tresses and  other  contents  scattered  about  on  the  roadway. 

The  sun  was  near  setting.  Our  sergeants,  blown  as  their 
men  and  as  I,  paused  and  mopped  their  faces.  We  scanned 
the  outlook.  Far  away  well  up  the  mountain  side  we  caught 
sight  of  a  group  of  burly  men,  and  among  them  a  slender 
figure  clad  in  a  garb  of  pale  lavender  hue  with  the  sheen  of 
silk.  Below  and  close  a  similar  group  among  which  were 
two  figures  conspicuous  for  crimson  cloaks  or  the  like.  Par 
below  and  much  nearer  us  we  glimpsed  the  pursuing  horse- 
men. 

Oif  we  set,  and  our  fresh  excitement  seemed  to  put  fresh 


THE  POINT  OF  VIEW  401 

vigor  into  all  of  us.  We  ran  a  full  mile  straight  across  pas- 
tures and  wooded  hills  towards  the  point  where  I  had 
glimpsed  Vedia. 

The  sun  set. 

The  constables  ran  on,  panting,  hut  hy  no  means  failing. 

I  gave  out. 

The  hopelessness  of  such  pursuit  took  all  the  heart  out 
of  me. 

I  stopped. 

I  could  not  hope  to  keep  up  with  the  excited  police.  I 
could  not  believe  that  they  would  give  any  effective  support 
to  their  mounted  comrades  or  even  that  they  could  overtake 
the  outlaws  after  sunset  in  such  broken  and  wooded  country, 
or  that  any  or  all  of  them  could  rescue  any  of  the  prisoners. 
I  shuddered  to  think  of  Yedia  in  the  clutches  of  such  ruthless 
villains.  But  I  could  accomplish  nothing  towards  helping 
her.  I  turned  to  slink  homewards. 

Half  way  to  the  spot  where  we  had  left  the  highway  I 
encountered  a  lion.  He  did  not  attack  me  or  menace  me  and 
I  was  not  afraid  of  him.  But  the  sight  of  him  brought  to 
my  attention  that  the  light  was  waning  and  that  I  was,  for  a 
man  afoot,  a  considerable  distance  from  my  cottage  in  broken 
country  full  of  escaped  beasts  of  prey.  I  had  never  under- 
stood my  power  over  all  animals,  but  I  had  always  conceived 
that  it  depended  on  the  way  I  looked  to  them  when  they 
gazed  at  me.  I  was  totally  unafraid  of  the  most  ferocious 
beast  by  daylight,  but  by  no  means  comfortable  in  twilight 
or  dusk,  while  after  dark  I  had  no  reason  to  think  that  a  lion 
or  tiger  would  prove  more  tractable  to  me  than  to  any  other 
man.  I  felt  that  I  must  hasten  home,  if  I  was  ever  to  reach 
it  alive.  With  what  breath  I  had  left  I  ran  the  rest  of  the 
easy  downhill  path  to  the  highway. 

When  I  reached  it  twilight  had  not  yet  deepened  into  dusk 
and  I  could  see  fairly  well.  The  four  hamstrung  horses  were 
struggling  pitifully  to  rise  and  screaming  at  intervals.  With 
my  sheathknife  I  put  them  out  of  their  misery;  as  also  the 
four  pack-mules  which  lay,  similarly  hamstrung,  in  the  road- 
way, behind  the  carriage. 


402  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

In  spite  of  my  dread  of  carnivora  after  dark  I  examined  the 
coach  and  what  lay  about  it  on  the  road.  There  were  two 
kidskins,  bulging  roundly,  presumably  with  wine.  Three 
covered  food  hampers,  unopened ;  and,  intact,  a  beautiful  little 
inlaid  chest,  such  as  ladies  have  for  their  combs,  brushes, 
ointment-pots  and  similar  toilet  articles.  From  their  condi-j 
tion  I  conjectured  that  the  bandits  had  just  commenced  to 
rummage  the  coach  when  the  unexpected  approach  of  the 
mounted  constables,  whose  small  numbers  they  most  likely 
did  not  realize,  had  scared  them  away. 

Eeluctant  to  be  off  and  fearing  to  remain,  I  glanced  about, 
irresolute.  In  a  clump  of  willows  and  alders  in  the  midst 
of  the  swampy  tract  I  caught  sight  of  a  bit  of  color  out  of 
keeping  with  anything  which  naturally  belonged  there  and 
suggesting  a  woman's  garment.  There  was  a  dryshod  way 
to  that  clump  of  trees  and  bushes.  I  threaded  it  towards 
what  I  had  glimpsed.  When  I  was  hardly  more  than  half 
way  from  the  road  to  the  clump  I  thought  I  heard  a  sob.  I 
made  haste. 

Nearing  the  place  I  saw  a  young  and  slender  and  graceful 
woman  dressed  as  a  slave  girl.  Somehow  the  sight  of  her 
brought  to  my  mind's-eye  vivid  recollections  of  my  convales- 
cent outings  in  Nemestronia's  water-garden.  She  looked  ter- 
rified and  yet  hesitating  to  flee  from  me,  as  if  she  feared  the 
swamp.  A  step  nearer  I  realized  that  Vedia's  maid,  a  woman 
not  unlike  her  in  build,  as  faithful  to  her  as  Agathemer  was 
to  me  and  amazingly  astute,  had  had  the  shrewdness  and  also 
the  time  to  fool  the  brigands  by  exchanging  clothes  with  her 
mistress  in  the  carriage. 

"Vedia  \»  I  exclaimed.     "Caia !" 

"Castor!"  she  screamed.  "You  know  me?  You  call  me 
Caia?  Are  you  a  ghost?  Are  you  alive?  And  that  voice! 
Oh,  are  you  real  ?" 

"Seal  and  alive,"  I  answered.  "I  am  myself.  I  am 
Hedulio." 

To  my  amazement  there,  in  the  dusk  under  the  willows, 
among  the  alders,  she  gave  a  half-smothered  shriek  and  the 


MOONLIGHT  403 

next  instant  her  arms  were  round  my  neck  and  mine  round 
her,  and  she  was  sobbing  on  my  shoulder,  repeating : 
"Call  me  Caia  again.     This  is  too  good  to  be  true." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

MOONLIGHT 

WHEN"  our  transports  had  abated  a  little  I  was  aware 
that  the  twilight  was  deepening  into  dusk  and  that 
I  must  somehow  save  Vedia  from  the  roaming  wild  beasts.  I 
guided  her  along  the  twisting  track  from  her  hiding-place  to 
the  road.  As  we  gained  it  I  heard  a  loud  snarl  of  a  lion  or 
tiger  or  panther  far  off  towards  the  crag.  We  must  make 
haste. 

I  reflected  that  it  would  be  a  very  strong  and  enterprising 
beast,  even  if  a  lion,  which  would  break  into  Vedia's  coach 
when  its  panels  were  slid  and  fastened. 

"We  are  too  far  from  any  habitation,"  I  said,  "for  us  to 
reach  any  while  the  light  holds.  I  dare  not  make  the  attempt 
with  you  among  all  these  freed  wild  beasts.  I  should  be 
afraid  to  try  it  alone  in  this  deepening  dusk.  The  best  thing 
we  can  do  is  to  get  inside  your  carriage,  slide  the  panels  and 
trust  to  them  to  keep  out  any  inquisitive  leopard  or  lion. 
With  the  carcasses  of  four  well-fed  horses  and  as  many  mules 
laid  ready  to  eat,  no  tiger  ought  to  be  hungry  enough  to  be 
eager  after  us." 

"I  had  thought  that,  too,"  she  agreed. 

I  peered  through  the  open  door  into  the  coach,  which  was 
roomy.  Then  I  replaced  in  it  its  mattresses  and  cushions, 
Vedia  showing  me  how  they  fitted  and,  going  round  to  the 
other  door  and  opening  it,  helping  me  to  lay  smooth  the  un- 
manageable feather-stuffed  upper-cushions.  She  also  showed 
me  the  receptacles  for  her  toilet-box,  the  food  hampers  and 
the  kidskins.  While  we  were  thus  busied  the  almost  full 


404  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

moon  rose  clear  and  bright  over  a  distant  mountain.  I  helped 
Vedia  into  the  coach  and  she  disposed  herself  at  full  length 
on  its  cushions,  sinking  into  the  feathers.  I  walked  round 
the  coach  and  slid  all  the  panels  except  the  front  panel 
through  which  the  moonlight  entered,  then  I  climbed  inside, 
shut  and  fastened  the  door,  shut  the  panels,  fastened  each 
and  stretched  out  by  Vedia,  like  her  with  plenty  of  cushions 
and  pillows  under  my  head  and  shoulders. 

As  I  fastened  the  last  panels  we  heard  the  hunting-squall 
of  a  leopard  at  no  great  distance.  Vedia  clung  to  me,  shud- 
dering. 

"You  have  saved  me,  Caius,"  she  said.  "As  you  did  on 
the  terrace  at  Nemestronia's." 

Naturally,  for  a  while,  we  exchanged  kisses  and  caresses 
without  any  intermingled  words. 

When  she  spoke  she  said: 

"How  do  you  come  to  be  alive  ?" 

"That,"  I  said,  "is  thanks  to  Agathemer  and  is  a  long  tale. 
I  am  faint  with  hunger  and  thirst,  you  yourself  should  be  in 
need  of  nourishment  and  might  be  the  better  for  it.  There 
should  be  food  in  those  hampers  and  wine  in  the  kidskins." 

"There  is,"  she  said,  "and  plenty.  I  am  as  hungry  and 
thirsty  as  you,  now  I  am  no  longer  terrified  and  am  recover- 
ing from  my  panic.  But  I  am  intensely  eager  to  hear  your 
story.  Do  begin  at  the  beginning  just  as  soon  as  you  can, 
and  tell  it  while  we  eat." 

Then  she  showed  me  how  to  dispose  the  hampers  as  they 
were  designed  to  be  arranged  while  the  occupants  of  the  coach 
ate.  They  were  very  generously  filled  with  the  most  luxurious 
fare:  hard-boiled  eggs,  ham,  cold  roast  pork,  sliced  thin; 
breast  of  roast  goose,  breast  of  roast  duck,  young  guinea- 
fowls,  broiled  whole  and  cut  up,  broiled  chickens,  broiled 
squabs;  half  a  dozen  kinds  of  bread,  a  quarter  loaf  and  dif- 
ferent sorts  of  rolls ;  lettuce  and  radishes ;  bottles  of  oil,  vine- 
gar, garum  sauce,  and  other  sauces;  salt  smoked  fish;  figs, 
both  big  green  figs  and  small  purple  figs;  a  jar  of  strained 
honey,  several  kinds  of  cakes,  and  plenty  of  salt,  pepper,  other 


MOONLIGHT  405 


relishes,  and  a  lavish  provision  of  knives  and  of  silver, 
spoons,  cups  and  other  utensils. 

"Why  all  this  profusion?"  I  queried.  "You  have  enough 
here  for  a  party  of  ten." 

"I  always  have  a  variety  like  this/5  she  explained.  "I 
generally  have  very  little  appetite  on  a  journey  so  I  tell  Lydia 
to  put  in  all  the  things  she  can  get  which  she  knows  I  like. 
Then  something  is  likely  to  tempt  me/5 

We  feasted  by  moonlight,  while  I  told  my  story  from  the 
moment  when  I  had  received  her  warning  letter. 

"I  knew  that  you  mounted  the  horse  in  front  of  PlosurmVs 
Tavern/'  she  said,  "but  I  have  never  heard  of  you  after  that. 
Tanno  and  I  did  all  we  could  to  find  out  what  had  become 
of  you  ;  all  we  could  without  risking  the  secret  service  getting 
an  inkling  that  we  had  a  hope  that  you  were  not  dead. 

"In  fact  it  was  not  only  advertised  from  the  Palace  in  due 
course,  but  circumstantially  reported  to  us  privately,  that  the 
secret  service  had  learned  that  you  had  arranged  for  a  fishing- 
vessel  to  take  you  to  sea  from  Sipontum.  They  had  then  set 
three  detachments  of  Praetorians  to  intercept  you,  one  on  each 
road,  with  watchers  to  warn  them  if  you  were  recognized. 
You  were  seen  or  betrayed  somewhere  between  Hadria  and 
Auximuni,  one  account  said  at  Ortona,  and  the  Praetorians 
killed  you. 

"Tanno  said  that  the  secret  service  always  gave  out  such  an 
account  if  they  failed  to  locate  and  capture  any  man  they 
should  have  arrested.  But  the  confirmation  of  the  story  by 
three  different  private  agencies  plainly  destroyed  his  hopes 
that  you  might  still  be  alive.  I  tried  to  keep  on  hoping,  but, 
after  a  whole  year,  I  stopped  lying  awake  and  sobbing  in  the 
dark;  while  I  felt  more  grief  for  you  than  I  ever  felt  for 
Satronius  Patavinus  and  more  truly  widowed  than  when  he 
died,  I  ceased  to  grieve  and  regained  my  interest  in  gaieties 
and  suitors.  Don't  you  think  that  was  natural?" 

"Very  natural/7  I  admitted  and  went  on  with  my  story. 

The  moon  rose  higher  and  its  rays  no  longer  struck  on 
our  faces,  but,  striking  through  the  open  panel,  diffused  from 


406  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

what  part  of  the  cushion  or  sides  of  the  coach  they  fell  on 
directly,  lit  up  the  whole  interior  with  a  pearly  glimmer. 
By  this  subdued  light  Vedia  looked  bewitchingly  charming 
and  coquettish,  all  the  more  because  of  the  contrast  between 
her  elaborate  coiffure  and  the  simple  costume  her  maid  had 
worn. 

I  ate  liberally  and  with  relish  and  she  appeared  to  enjoy 
her  food  as  I  did. 

"You  don't  seem  a  bit  worried/'  I  remarked,  "over  the  loss 
of  your  jewels." 

"Loss!"  she  exclaimed.  "I  haven't  lost  them,  they  are 
all  in  the  secret  compartment  under  us  inside  the  coach  body, 
just  where  Lydia  put  them  before  we  left  Kome.  The  bandits 
had  barely  begun  to  ransack  the  coach  when  we  heard  the 
yells  of  the  constabulary  and  then  the  hoof-beats  of  their 
horses.  They  and  their  horses  made  so  much  noise  that  the 
brigands  thought  they  had  to  do  with  a  hundred  or  more  and 
fled,  dragging  off  Bambilio  and  Lydia  and  leaving  me  and  the 
hampers,  even  the  wine-skins.  They  never  were  near  laying 
hands  on  those  jewels.  They  had  Bambilio's  coin-chests,  to 
be  sure;  but  not  my  jewelry  nor  so  much  as  a  nugget  of 
the  bullion  they  had  expected.  They  were  preparing  to  tor- 
ture the  procurator  to  make  him  reveal  the  hiding  place  of 
his  bullion,  when  the  yelling  and  galloping  horsemen  scared 
them  away." 

I  congratulated  her  and  we  ate  with  even  more  relish.  Both 
of  us,  however,  were  sparing  of  the  wine,  though  I  gloated 
at  the  savor  of  the  first  really  good  wine  I  had  tasted  for  more 
than  two  years. 

And  garum  sauce !  I  had  not  realized  how  I  had  craved 
luch  luxuries  as  garum. 

I  told  my  story  to  an  accompaniment  of  Vedia's  exclama- 
tions. She  was  amazed  at  all  of  it;  at  our  crawl  through 
the  drain,  at  the  loyalty  of  old  Chryseros,  at  my  involvement 
with  Maternus,  at  my  encounter  with  Pescennius  Niger,  at 
my  involvement  with  the  mutineers;  but  most  of  all,  at  my 
having  been  present  in  the  great  circus,  an  eyewitness  of  the 
most  spectacular  day  of  racing  Commodus  ever  exhibited 


MOONLIGHT  407 

•under  his  transparent  pseudonym  of  Palus  and  his  last  day 
of  public  jockeying;  and,  equally,  at  Agathemer's  device  by 
which  we  survived  the  massacre. 

We  had  finished  our  leisurely  meal  and  I  had  finished  my 
story,  neither  our  appetites  nor  the  flow  of  my  narrative 
marred  by  the  distant  squalls  of  leopards  and  roars  of  lions, 
nor  by  the  uncanny  sounds  made  by  the  hyenas,  when,  all  of 
a  sudden,  a  lion  uttered  a  powerful  and  prolonged  roar  within 
a  dozen  yards  of  us.  Vedia  shrieked  and  clung  to  me,  clutch- 
ing me  so  I  had  to  remonstrate  with  her  in  order  to  be  able 
to  slide  shut  and  fasten  the  open  front  panel.  I  had  barely 
fastened  it  when  another  roar  as  loud,  sudden,  and  long 
answered  the  first  from  the  other  side  of  us,  somewhere  in 
the  swamp  tract.  This  time  Vedia  did  not  shriek,  she  only 
clung  closer  to  me.  I  held  her  as  close  as  she  held  me  and, 
eo  clinging  to  each  other,  in  the  pale  glimmer  of  the  moon- 
light striking  on  the  shell  panes  in  the  panels,  we  listened  to 
repetitions  of  the  roars,  each  time  nearer,  till  the  two  beasts 
were  roaring  at  each  other  not  much  more  than  its  length 
from  the  carriage,  apparently  facing  each  other  across  the 
dead  pole-horses.  I  expected  a  fight,  but  they  ceased  roaring, 
and,  by  the  sounds  they  made,  fell  to  gorging  themselves  on 
horse-meat. 

When  we  had  become  used  to  their  proximity,  since,  after  a 
lapse  of  time  which  seemed  like  half  an  hour  or  more,  they 
kept  on  crunching  and  rending  without  any  roarings  and 
without  coming  nearer  the  carriage,  Vedia,  her  arms  still 
about  me,  told  me  the  story  of  her  doings  since  my  downfall. 
Most  of  it  was  taken  up  with  social  gaieties  and  with  rejec- 
tions of  tolerated  suitors. 

Then  she,  shyly,  told  me  of  her  liking  for  Orensius  Pacullus, 
of  Aquileia,  and  her  promise  to  marry  him.  She  explained 
at  length  why  she  had  been  called  imperatively  to  Aquileia, 
why  he  felt  bound  to  remain  there  and  how  it  wrs  that  she 
had  agreed  to  travel  to  Aquileia  to  be  married  there,  instead 
of  his  returning  to  Rome,  which  would  have  been  the  most 
conventional  arrangement. 

While  she  was  telling  me  this  we  heard  not  only  the  noise 


408  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  the  feeding  of  the  two  lions  which  were  eating  the  dead 
horses,  but  heard  also  a  third  animal  as  noisily  tearing  at  one 
of  the  dead  mules  behind  the  coach. 

"I  cannot  believe/'  she  said,  "that  I  ever  consented  to 
marry  anybody  else,  even  when  I  was  certain  you  were  dead. 
But  you  know,  Caius,  it  is  natural  to  be  married ;  and  to  live 
alone,  as  maid  or  widow,  is  not  only  lonesome  and  unnatural, 
but  unfashionable  and  absurd. 

"But,  now  that  I  know  you  are  alive,  I  shall  not  care  who 
thinks  me  ridiculous  or  who  calls  me  silly ;  I  shall  feel  lonely, 
but  lonely  merely  because  I  cannot  live  with  you.  I  shall 
jilt  poor  dear  Pacullus,  who  is  as  good  a  man  and  as  good 
a  fellow  as  ever  lived,  and  I  shall  stick  to  my  widowhood 
until  I  die  or  Commodus  joins  the  company  of  the  gods  and 
we  can  arrange  for  your  full  rehabilitation  and  the  restora- 
tion of  your  estates  and  rank." 

Just  as  she  said  this  we  distinctly  heard  clawing  and 
snuffing  against  the  panels  behind  our  heads,  opposite  where 
the  lions  were  feasting.  Vedia  did  not  shriek,  she  was  too 
scared  to  make  any  sound :  she  merely  clutched  me  closer. 

Both  lions  roared  in  front  of  the  coach;  a  tiger's  rasping 
yarr  answered  from  behind  it  and  almost  instantly  there  were 
noises  alongside  the  coach  indicating  that  a  lion  and  tiger 
were  at  grips;  growls,  snarls,  more  growls  and  more  snarls, 
each  choked  off  in  the  middle  as  it  were,  half  swallowed  and 
left  unfinished.  For  some  reason  the  noise  of  the  fight  im- 
mediately started  a  chorus  of  hyenas,  emitting  their  strange 
cries,  much  like  human  laughter,  but  the  laughter  of  maniacs. 
Our  situation  and  environment  was  to  the  last  degree  un- 
canny. 

The  fight  lasted  no  long  time.  We  could  not  conjecture 
which  combatant  was  victorious,  but  they  dashed  off,  one  pur- 
suing the  other.  The  remaining  lion  roared  twice;  long, 
choking,  snarling  torrents  of  thunderous  noise;  then  it 
also  went  away.  Except  for  distant  snarls,  squalls  and 
roars,  we  were  in  a  silent  moonlit  world,  almost  peaceful. 
I  ventured  to  unfasten  the  other  front  panel  and  slide  it; 
a  little  way  open.  The  rays  of  the  high  moon  poured 


MOONLIGHT  409 

in   on   our   feet,    we   looked    out   on    a   magical   prospect. 

Vedia  put  a  relishing  warm  arm  round  my  neck. 

"Call  me  Caia  again/'  she  whispered.  "Where  you  are 
Caius  I  am  Caia!"* 

The  implication  thrilled  me.  It  was  as  if  we  were  mar- 
ried, had  been  man  and  wife  for  long  past. 

It  may  have  been  midnight,  was  near  midnight  when  she 
said: 

"I  don't  want  to  go  to  sleep  at  all.  We  can  do  without 
one  night's  sleep.  We  can  sleep  tomorrow  night,  when  we 
are  not  together.  Let's  try  te  keep  awake  every  minute  till 
daylight." 

In  fact  it  was  not  easy  to  sleep,  for  a  pack  of  hyenas,  ap- 
parently as  friendly  with  each  other  as  if  they  had  hunted 
together  since  they  were  weaned,  came  and  picked  the  bones 
of  the  horses  and  mules,  even  ate  the  bones,  which  cracked 
loudly  between  their  powerful  jaws.  The  noise  of  their  glut- 
tony would  have  kept  awake  a  pair  sleepier  than  we. 

But,  when  the  moon  was  almost  half  way  down  the  sky, 
when  the  roars  and  squalls  and  snarls  of  lions  and  leopards 
and  tigers  and  the  horrid  laughter  of  hyenas  had  ceased  to 
sound,  when  the  night  silence  was  so  complete  that  we  could 
hear  the  cocks  crowing  near  distant  farmsteads  and  the  faint 
breezes  rustling  in  the  willows,  we  did  sleep,  she  first,  her 
arms  round  me  and  her  head  on  my  shoulder. 

When  we  woke,  with  the  slanted  moon  rays  on  the  back 
corner  of  the  coach  behind  me,  she  cuddled  to  me  luxuriously, 
patted  me  and  presently  whispered,  in  a  bantering,  roguish 
tone  which  I  detected  even  in  her  softest  whisper: 

"You  remember  that  old  sweetheart  of  yours  ?" 

"I  don't  remember  any  sweetheart  except  you,"  I  retorted. 
"I  never  had  any  sweetheart  except  you." 

"I  mean/'  she  said,  "that  minx  who  made  eyes  at  you  and 
all  your  country  neighbors  and  certainly  tried  to  marry  you 
and  most  of  your  Sabine  friends." 

"You  mean  Marcia?"  said  I. 

"Ah,"  she  said,  playfully  and  teasingly,  "I  thought  you 
from  the  Roman  marriage-ritual. 


410  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

would  remember  her  name.  If  you  remember  her  name  you 
must  remember  her." 

"Of  course  I  remember  Marcia,"  I  said.  "How  could  I 
forget  her  after  the  way  she  led  my  uncle  by  the  nose,  had 
half  the  countryside  mad  for  her,  set  us  all  by  the  ears,  re- 
buffed Ducconius  Furfur,  and  married  Marcus  Martius? 

"If  I  had  never  known  her  before  I'd  be  bound  to  recall 
the  creature  who  embroiled  me  with  you.  My!  You  were 
in  a  wax !" 

"I  certainly  was,"  she  whispered,  "and  I  thought  I  had 
reason  to  be  indignant.  But  now  I  believe  your  version  of 
her  relations  with  you  and  feel  no  qualms  at  recollecting  the 
slanders  I  then  credited.  But,  the  point  is,  you  remember 
her." 

"My  dear,"  I  said,  "if  I  had  never  set  eyes  on  Marcia  ex- 
cept when  I  encountered  her  in  the  Baths  of  Titus  the  day 
you  rescued  me  from  drowning  when  I  fainted  in  the  swim- 
ming pool,  Fd  remember  her  for  life.  She  is  too  beautiful 
to  forget." 

"Am  I  so  hideous  ?"  she  demanded. 

"You  are  the  loveliest  woman  alive,"  I  vowed.  "But  Mar- 
cia is  amazingly  spectacular  and  the  pictures  she  makes 
impress  themselves  on  one's  memory  and  eyesight.  I  could 
never  forget  her  in  that  brilliant  tableau  on  the  camp-plat- 
form facing  the  mutineers,  even  if  I  had  never  seen  her 
before." 

"I  was  coming  to  that,"  Vedia  said.  "Marcia,  who  was  a 
foundling  and  a  slave  as  the  adopted  child  of  a  slave,  has 
risen  so  high  that  she  is  truly  Empress  in  all  but  the  official 
title.  She  has  all  the  honors  Faustina  or  Crispina  ever  had, 
except  that  she  keeps  out  of  those  religious  rites,  participa- 
tion in  which  is  confined  to  women  married  with  the  full 
old-time  ceremonies  and  observances." 

I  then  told  her  what  Agathemer  and  I  had  heard  about 
Marcia  while  domiciled  with  Colgius,  and  of  the  absence  from 
all  talk  about  her  of  any  mention  of  or  allusion  to  Marcus 
Martius;  I  asked  if  she  knew  what  had  become  of  him  or, 
indeed,  anything  about  him. 


MOONLIGHT  411 

"Oh,  yes/*  she  said,  "all  Eoman  society  knew  the  main 
facts  and  dear  old  Tanno  supplied  me  with  many  of  the 
intimate  details.  Commodus  made  a  point  of  having  Martius 
specially  presented  to  him  because  he  had  heard  that  he 
had  been,  with  you  and  Tanno,  one  of  the  foremost  fighters 
in  your  affrays  in  Yediamnum  and  near  Villa  Satronia.  At 
his  private  audience  he  congratulated  and  bepraised  Martius 
and  acclaimed  his  prowess.  Martius,  who  seems  to  have  been 
a  very  fine  fellow,  disclaimed  any  pretensions  to  such  lauda- 
tions and  modestly  stated  that  he  had,  at  the  beginning  of 
each  fight,  been  far  in  the  rear  in  your  travelling-coach,  with 
Marcia ;  that  she  had  clung  to  him  and  so  delayed  his  getting 
out ;  that  each  time  he  had  gotten  out  and  picked  up  the  staff 
of  a  disabled  combatant,  but  that,  in  each  combat,  he  had 
arrived  barely  in  time  to  land  a  few  blows  on  some  of  the 
routed  enemy;  that  in  neither  affray  had  he  done  any  real 
fighting  or  been  in  any  danger  or  performed  any  exploits. 

"Commodus,  in  his  blunt  way,  had  asked  whether  he  was 
good  for  anything,  anyhow.  Martius  had  replied  that  he 
was  considered  more  than  a  mediocre  horse-master. 

"Commodus  had  then  invited  him  to  demonstrate  his 
prowess  in  the  Stadium  of  the  Palace.  There  Martius  had 
shown  such  skill,  courage,  agility,  judgment,  grace  and  ease 
that  Commodus  was  delighted.  He  had  Martius  ride  a  num- 
ber of  wild,  fierce  and  unmanageable  horses  and  was  more 
and  more  charmed  with  him. 

"Next  day  he  had  another  batch  of  intractable  mounts  for 
him.  As  Martius  was  manoeuvring  one  which  he  had  almost 
subdued  Commodus  stepped  too  near  the  plunging  brute  and,, 
in  saving  the  Emperor  from  being  run  down  and  trampled, 
Martius  was  somehow  thrown  and  his  neck  broken. 

"Commodus  was  very  penitent,  felt  that  he  had  caused 
Martius'  death,  had  him  given  a  funeral  of  Imperial  magnifi- 
cence and,  as  soon  as  her  grief  had  quieted  enough,  paid  Mar- 
cia a  ceremonial  visit  of  condolence,  as  if  she  had  been  the 
widow  of  a  full  general  killed  in  battle  on  the  frontier. 

"One  sight  of  Marcia  was  enough.     Within  a  very  short 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

space  of  time  her  wiles  had  ensnared  him  and  Crispina  raged 
in  vain/' 

Then  she  told  me  all  the  story  of  the  intrigues  by  which 
Marcia  poisoned  the  Emperor's  mind  against  the  Empress, 
until  Crispina  fell  under  all  sorts  of  suspicion  in  the  eyes 
of  Commodus;  of  how  at  the  same  time  Marcia  subtly  laid 
snares  for  Crispina  and  enticed  her  into  injudicious  behavior 
with  several  gallants,  until  finally  the  Emperor  put  her  under 
surveillance,  later  relegated  her  to  Capri,  then  to  some  more 
distant  island,  and  finally  had  her  brought  back  to  Eome, 
publicly  tried,  convicted  and  executed. 

I  told  her  my  conjectures  as  to  the  queer  outcome  of  the 
arrest  of  Ducconius  Furfur  and  as  to  who  Palus  really  was 
and  who  occupied  the  throne  while  Palus  exhibited  himself 
as  wrestler,  boxer,  charioteer  and  what  not. 

"I  know  nothing  to  confirm  your  surmises,"  she  said,  "but 
we  about  the  Court  have  often  been  puzzled  at  the  way  Com- 
modus appeared  to  be  in  two  places  at  once.  You  set  me 
thinking/' 

After  the  second  cockcrow,  since  dawn  was  not  now  far 
away,  we  fell  to  talking  of  the  future. 

"I  shan't  marry  anybody,  ever,  except  you,  dear!"  she 
promised,  without  my  asking  it  and  again  and  again:  "I'll 
remain  a  widow  until  I  die  unless  we  outlive  Commodus,  and 
Tanno  and  I  succeed  in  having  you  rehabilitated.  I  have 
many  consolations  in  my  wealth  and  social  position  and 
friends." 

"And  suitors,"  I  put  in,  mimicking  her  tone  when  she 
bantered  me  about  Marcia. 

"And  suitors!"  she  replied.  "Caius,  I  love  you,  and  I'll 
never  marry  anyone  else,  but  I  do  love  attention.  I  love  to 
keep  a  dozen  good  catches  dangling  about  me;  their  wooings 
and  their  gifts  and  their  behavior  generally  are  no  end  of 
good  fun.  And  it's  good  fun  to  have  half  the  marriageable 
belles  furious  with  me.  I  cannot  help  encouraging  any  man, 
or  even  lad,  who  moons  about  after  me.  But  you  have  never 


MOONLIGHT  413 

had  any  reason  to  be  jealous,  you  have  none  now,  you  never 
will  have." 

I  expressed  my  faith  in  her  the  hest  I  could. 

"You  are  a  dear,  dear  boy/'  she  said,  "and  it  is  good 
of  you  not  to  be  jealous,  even  when  you  have  so  little  reason 
to  be  jealous.  I  have  much  more.  Suppose  I  raged  about 
Nebris  or  Septima?" 

I  tried  to  change  the  subject  and  succeeded,  when  I  sug- 
gested that  we  must  plan  what  we  were  to  do  at  dawn  and 
in  the  future.  After  a  full  discussion  and  the  airing  of  her 
ideas  and  mine,  we  agreed  that  there  was  little  or  no  likeli- 
hood of  the  road-constables  returning  or  of  anyone  else  ap- 
proaching her  carriage  before  full  daylight.  As  soon  as  there 
was  sufficient  light  for  it  to  be  safe,  I  would  open  the  panels 
enough  for  us  to  keep  watch  up  and  down  the  highway  and 
in  the  direction  the  constables  had  taken.  When  we  saw 
them  returning  I  was  to  wait  till  they  were  near  enough 
to  assure  her  safety  and  then,  at  the  last  moment,  I  was  to 
slip  out  on  the  other  side  of  the  coach.  That  was  next  the 
swamp  and  I  could  be  out  of  sight  among  the  willows  and 
alders  when  less  than  two  score  yards  from  the  road;  also  I 
knew  the  path  across  the  swamp  and  could  cross  it  and  go 
off  home  through  the  meadows  and  pastures  beyond  it.  This 
was  our  plan. 

She  said  she  would,  whenever  the  road-constables  returned, 
behave  as  if  she  had  been  alone  in  the  coach  all  night.  She 
had  no  doubt  that  the  police  would  give  her  every  assistance 
in  their  power. 

"Of  course/'  she  said,  "my  intendant  galloped  off  some- 
where, somehow  and  the  coachman  and  outrider  and  mule- 
drivers  ran  away;  you  couldn't  expect  any  or  all  of  them 
to  make  a  stand  against  all  those  armed  brigands.  If  the 
constables  return,  as  they  will,  all  my  men  will  come  back. 
Osdarus  will  manage  to  get  me  horses  from  the  nearest 
change-station  or  somewhere  else,  somehow.  Once  at  an  inn 
I  can  get  fresh  horses.  I  can  buy  a  team  at  Nuceria." 


414  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"Can  you  pay  for  a  team  ?"  I  interrupted.     "Have  you  the 
" 


"My  gold  and  silver/'  she  laughed,  "are  in  the  other  secret 
compartment.  The  outlaws  did  not  get  my  coin  any  more 
than  my  jewelry.  Why  look!  Lydia's  earrings  are  in  my 
ears  now  and  her  necklace  round  my  neck  and  her  bracelets 
on  my  wrists  and  her  rings  on  my  fingers.  The  rascals  were 
BO  sure  of  not  being  interfered  with  and  so  much  at  ease 
that  they  were  startled  frantic  by  the  galloping  horsemen 
•and  sauttled  off  with  Bambilio's  coin-chest,  dragging  him  and 
poor  Lydia  and  totally  forgetting  me,  thinking  me  the  maid, 
not  even  noticing  these  little  trinkets,  which  are  mostly 
silver  and  some  of  gold  and  so  worth  stealing. 

"I  have  the  cash  to  pay  for  two  teams  or  three:  I  brought 
plenty  for  the  journey  to  Aquileia,  because  we  could  learn 
little  of  the  state  of  the  roads  beyond  Bononia  and  I  thought 
I  might  have  to  travel  by  Placentia  or  even  by  Milan.  I'll 
.get  back  to  Eome,  as  fast  as  I  can.  I  don't  want  to  be  married 
now,  so  I  don't  want  to  go  on  to  Bononia,  let  alone  all  the 
•way  to  Aquileia.  If  I  did  want  to  go  on,  the  bandits  have 
run  off  with  my  maid,  and  I  could  hardly  get  along  without 
ier,  and  they  have  also  removed  my  escort,  and  I  certainly 
could  not  keep  on  without  a  proper  escort.  I  have  every 
excuse  for  turning  about  at  once  and  making  haste  to  get 
out  of  this  dangerous  neighborhood  and  getting  back  home. 

"Poor  Lydia!  I  hate  to  think  of  her  at  the  mercy  of 
those  brutal  ruffians.  They  may  maltreat  her  horribly  if 
they  discover  that  they  have  the  maid  instead  of  the  mistress, 
and  by  the  maid's  device.  I'll  tell  everybody  I  see  that  I'll 
pay  any  ransom  in  reason,  even  beyond  reason,  for  poor 
Lydia,  if  the  brigands  will  restore  her  to  me  safe  and  sound. 
I  fancy  their  friends  hereabouts,  and  almost  every  inhabitant 
of  the  district  is  a  friend  of  theirs,  by  your  account,  will 
speedily  have  conveyed  to  them  the  news  that  their  capture 
is  worth  almost  as  much  ransom  as  they  hoped  to  extort 
for  me.  That  news  ought  to  protect  Lydia  while  she  is 
among  the  outlaws  and  ought  to  help  me  to  get  her  back 
'Without  much  delay. 


MOONLIGHT  415 

"As  soon  as  I  am  in  Rome  Fll  send  a  trusty  agent  up  here 
to  set  on  foot  negotiations  with  the  outlaws  and  to  rescue 
Lydia  by  paying  what  they  ask  for  her. 

"And,  the  moment  I  reach  Rome  Pll  set  in  motion  all  the 
forces  I  can  control  or  enlist,  and  I  can  influence  many 
men  in  high  places,  I'll  have  all  I  can  influence  working 
quietly  and  most  unobtrusively  for  that  official  manumission 
of  yours.  Once  you  are  free  you  had  best  travel  secretly  and 
without  haste  to  Bruttium.  No  folk  are  more  secretive  or 
more  loyal  than  the  herders  and  foresters  of  Bruttium.  Not 
only  your  former  slaves  on  your  uncle's  estate  there,  but  all 
their  neighbors  will  do  as  much  to  keep  secret  your  presence 
among  them,  and  shield  you  and  to  make  you  comfortable 
and  happy  as  the  Umbrians  hereabouts  have  been  doing  to 
help  and  protect  Bulla  and  his  band  and  to  shield  them 
from  the  constabulary  and  authorities.  In  Bruttium  you  can 
lurk  in  safety  as  long  as  Commodus  lives  and  it  will  even 
be  safe  for  us  two  to  exchange  letters.  In  Bruttium  it  can 
be  arranged  that  no  secret-service  agent  or  Imperial  spy 
can  ever  get  wind  of  your  existence,  let  alone  of  your  hiding- 
place.  You  can  be  free,  in  a  way,  housed  comfortably,  with 
no  duties,  able  to  pass  your  time  as  you  please,  and  well 
cared  for.  Tanno  and  I  will  see  that  you  are  supplied  with 
cash  for  the  journey  and  for  your  needs  after  you  reach 
your  haven." 

The  cocks  crowed  vociferously  at  all  the  neighboring  farm- 
steads and  we  could  hear  them  plainly  across  the  consider- 
able distances  from  us  to  each.  The  moon  hung  low 
and  the  pale  first  light  of  day  began  to  overcome  the  moon- 
light. 

Vedia  petted  me  and  I  petted  her  and  she  repeated  her 
vows  of  unalterable  fidelity  to  her  pledge  to  marry  no  one 
else  and  to  hope  to  marry  me. 

As  dawn  brightened  the  hyenas  burst  into  a  belated  chorus 
and  a  lion  roared  far  away.  After  that  the  beasts  made 
no  sounds  which  came  to  our  ears. 

Vedia  insisted  on  my  eating  more  of  her  delicacies  and, 
I  confess,  I  ate  liberally  and  with  relish.  A  night  with 


416  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

almost  no  sleep  and  much  excitement  causes  an  unnatural 
hunger  at  dawn  and  the  delicious  rarities  tempted  me. 

She  explained,  over  and  over,  that  I  was  to  behave  pre- 
cisely as  if  we  had  not  encountered  each  other  and  be  sure 
not  to  mistake  some  secret-service  agent  for  her  emissary. 
The  watchword  was  to  be,  in  memory  of  that  used  at  my 
escape  from  Rome,  that  whoever  came  from  her  or  Tanno 
to  me  would  ask: 

"Can  you  direct  me  to  the  leopard-tamer  who  rode  the 
horse  with  the  blue  saddle-cloth?" 

I  was  to  reply: 

"The  blue  saddle-cloth  was  bordered  with  silver." 

He  was  then  to  respond: 

"I  have  silver  for  the  leopard-tamer." 

I  was  then  to  say: 

"I  am  the  leopard-tamer  and  I  have  a  pouch  for  your 
silver." 

After  we  had  rehearsed  the  passwords  till  both  were  sure 
neither  could  forget  or  misplace  a  word,  as  the  day  was 
coming  on,  we  kept  a  keen  lookout  through  the  partly  opened 
panels.  Before  sunrise  I  saw  the  mounted  constables  ap- 
proaching down  the  mountain  trail,  for  there  were  several 
points  on  it  where  horsemen  could  be  seen  through  the  trees, 
even  from  where  we  were. 

I  unfastened  the  coach  door  next  the  swamp,  we  kissed 
each  other  again  and  again,  and,  as  the  horsemen  came  in 
sight  away  across  the  meadows  where  they  emerged  from 
the  woods,  we  exchanged  a  last  farewell  kiss  and  I  slipped 
out  and  across  the  swamp. 


BOOK  IV 
DISSIMULATIONS 


CHAPTEE  XXIX 

FELIX 

FROM  the  marsh  my  path  homewards  led  me  past  the 
villa,  for  it  was  directly  between  my  cottage  and  the 
swamp.  The  very  first  human  being  I  encountered  was  the 
Villicus  himself. 

"Hullo,  Felix/'  he  said.  "I've  been  looking  for  you. 
We  need  you.  Septima  says  she  hasn't  seen  you  since  early 
yesterday.  Where  have  you  been  all  night?" 

"Up  a  tree,"  I  replied.  "Bulla  told  me  day  before  yes- 
terday that  he  and  his  lads  planned  a  spectacular  capture 
and  robbery  on  the  highway  south  of  Diana's  Crag  for  yes- 
terday afternoon.  Most  of  the  days  lately  on  which  you 
haven't  wanted  me  I  have  spent  on  top  of  the  crag,  watch- 
ing the  traffic  on  the  road.  I  went  up  there  about  the  third 
hour  yesterday  morning,  to  view  the  show  Bulla  had  prom- 
ised me.  I  expected  to  enjoy  it,  but,  somehow,  when  I  saw 
the  victims'  coaches  come  in  sight,  the  idea  of  a  Roman  lady 
in  the  clutches  of  Bulk's  gang  went  against  my  gorge.  I 
ran  down  alongside  the  crag  towards  where  Selinus  was 
grazing  in  the  roadside  pasture.  He  came  to  me  and  I 
galloped  up  the  highway  and  up  the  first  crossroad  to  warn 
the  constabulary,  who  had  gone  up  that  road  about  noon 
on  some  false  information  given  them  by  someone  at  Bulla's 
suggestion.  Their  officer  took  my  horse  and  I  had  to  run 
with  the  infantrymen.  My  breath  gave  out  and  my  legs  too 
and  I  dropped  behind  when  they  left  the  highway  south  of 
the  crag  and  struck  off  across  country  after  the  bandits,  who 
had  been  scared  off  by  the  cavalrymen.  It  took  me  a  long 
time  to  get  my  breath  and  rest  my  legs.  When  I  felt  able 
to  walk  it  was  after  sunset.  I  can  gentle  any  beast  by  day- 

419 


420  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

light,  but  after  dusk  I'm  no  better  off  than  any  other  man 
facing  a  lion  or  tiger.  The  brigands  had  opened  scores  of 
cages  and  the  freed  beasts  began  to  roar  and  snarl  soon  after 
sunset.  I  climbed  a  maple  and  spent  the  night  in  a  fork 
about  six  yards  from  the  ground,  where  I  felt  safe  as  long 
as  I  could  keep  awake.  I  dreaded  to  fall  if  I  dozed,  and 
I  was  frightfully  drowsy  after  such  a  hot  day  and  such  a 
long  run.  When  the  sun  rose  I  started  home." 

"Come  along,  prudent  youth/'  he  said,  "we  need  you.  The 
sub-procurator  in  charge  of  the  beast-train  which  the  brig- 
ands interfered  with  is  at  the  villa :  so  are  half  his  beast- 
tenders  and  teamsters.  The  animal-keepers  vow  they  dare 
not  attempt  to  recapture  their  charges  and  the  procurator 
is  angry  and  worried  and  anxious  about  his  responsibility 
and  what  will  be  expected  of  him  by  his  superiors.  He  does 
not  want  to  lose  one  single  lion  or  tiger  or  even  hyena; 
wants  them  recaged  at  once.  So  do  I.  I've  lost  more  stock 
than  I  like  to  think  of.  The  hyenas  and  panthers  and  leop- 
ards have  slaughtered  a  host  of  my  sheep  and  goats,  and  the 
lions  and  tigers  have  banqueted  on  some  of  my  most  promis- 
ing colts  and  on  many  of  my  cattle. 

"Can  you  duplicate  your  feat  with  the  panther  loose  on 
the  highway?" 

"I  can  repeat  it  as  often  as  I  can  get  anywhere  near  any 
of  those  beasts  by  daylight,"  I  said.  "Let  us  start  at  once. 
There  is  no  hurry,  for  the  beasts  will  do  little  damage  in 
daytime,  as  most  of  them  will  hide  till  dark.  But  there 
seems  to  be  a  large  number  loose;  I  doubt  if  I  can  catch  all 
of  them  before  dusk." 

"It'll  take  you  two  days,  Felix,  or  three,"  the  Villicus 
laughed.  "The  procurator  states  that  his  train  had  in  its 
cages  twenty-five  panthers,  as  many  leopards,  fifty  tigers, 
a  hundred  lions  and  two  hundred  hyenas.  That's  four 
hundred  beasts  for  you  to  catch  as  fast  as  they  can  be  located 
by  their  keepers,  assisted  by  my  whole  force  of  horse-wran- 
glers, herdsmen,  shepherds,  and  the  rest  and  all  the  farmers 
hereabouts,  and  all  their  slaves.  We'll  have  plenty  of  help. 
Three  farmers  are  at  the  villa  now  raving  over  the  loss  of 


FELIX 

sheep  or  cattle;  every  farmer  will  turn  out  with  his  men  to 
help  us;  anyhow,  every  bumpkin  and  yokel  will  want  to 
enjoy  the  fun  and  they'll  all  flock  to  the  scene/' 

I  do  not  know  how  many  days  I  spent  catching  the  escaped 
beasts  for  the  procurator.  I  enjoyed  the  first  day,  did  not 
mind  the  second  and  was  not  painfully  weary  on  the  third; 
but  the  rest  passed  in  a  daze  of  exhaustion;  though  I  had 
good  horses,  a  fresh  horse  whenever  I  asked  for  it,  wine  and 
good  wine  as  often  as  I  was  thirsty,  plenty  of  good  food  and 
every  consideration ;  and  although  the  various  farms  at  which 
I  spent  the  nights  (for  we  did  not  once  return  to  the  villa) 
did  all  they  could  for  my  comfort,  the  repetition,  for  hun- 
dreds of  times,  of  dismounting,  approaching  a  lion  or  tiger 
in  his  daylight  lair  among  reeds  or  tall  grass  or  bushes, 
catching  him  by  the  mane  or  the  scruff  of  his  neck,  leading 
him  to  his  cage  and  caging  him,  was  extremely,  even  unbe- 
lievably exhausting. 

Whenever  any  of  our  searchers  located  a  beast  in  hiding 
the  teamsters  drove  their  wagons  with  his  cage  as  near  as 
might  be;  in  no  case  did  I  lead  a  cowed  captive  half  a  mile; 
seldom  two  furlongs.  But  I  walked  a  great  distance  in  the 
course  of  each  of  these  days,  rode  many  miles  in  the  course 
of  all  the  riding  I  did  between  recaptures,  and  was  never 
calmed  between  my  recurrent  periods  of  tense  excitement. 
I  felt  limp. 

My  condition  was  not  improved  by  the  occurrence  and 
recurrence  of  perturbing  excitement  from  a  more  disquieting 
cause.  Early  on  my  third  day  of  animal-catching,  just  as 
I  stepped  back  from  bolting  the  door  of  a  cage  on  a  lion,  I 
felt  rather  than  saw  out  of  the  tail  of  my  eye  someone  rush 
towards  me  from  behind,  trip  when  a  few  yards  from  me 
and  fall  flat.  I  whirled  to  look  and  beheld  a  mere  lad,  one 
of  my  fellow-slaves  at  the  villa,  a  stable  cleaner,  scrambling 
to  his  feet.  When  he  was  half  up  the  man  nearest  him, 
another  of  my  fellow-slaves,  an  assistant  colt-wrangler,  ap- 
parently the  man  who  had  tripped  him,  dealt  him  a  smash- 
ing blow  on  the  ear  with  his  clenched  fist  and  felled  him 
again.  As  he  went  down  I  saw  that  he  had  a  long-bladed, 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

keen-edged,  gleaming  dagger  in  his  right  hand.  It  flew 
from  his  grasp  as  he  plowed  up  the  ground  with  his  face. 
The  colt-wrangler  picked  it  up. 

We  were  on  a  crossroad,  some  distance  from  the  highway, 
in  the  woods.  The  wagon  and  cage  were  surrounded  by 
almost  a  score  of  the  slaves  of  the  estate,  with  nearly  as 
many  more  helpers;  farm-slaves,  farmers,  teamsters,  beast- 
warders,  yokels  and  stragglers;  the  Villicus  was  near. 

"Napsus,"  he  said  to  the  colt-wrangler,  "kill  him  with  his 
own  dagger !" 

Instantly  Napsus  stabbed  the  fallen  lad  between  the 
shoulders.  The  thrust  went  home  neatly,  under  the  left 
shoulder-blade,  deep  and  inclined  a  little  upward.  It  must 
have  reached  his  heart,  for  he  died  after  one  violent  convul- 
sion which  threw  him  into  the  air,  and  turned  him  completely 
over,  his  corpse  slapping  the  ground  like  a  flopping  fish  on 
a  stream-bank. 

"Hand  me  that  rope  I"  the  Villicus  ordered  a  teamster. 

He  knotted  a  hangman's  noose  at  one  end  of  the  rope, 
tried  it  to  make  sure  it  worked  properly  and  ordered  the 
estate  slaves  to  hang  the  body  to  a  convenient  limb  of  a 
near  by  tree.  They  did. 

I  stood,  gazing  questioningly,  first  at  the  swinging  corpse, 
then  at  the  Villicus. 

"Felix/'  said  he,  "I  perceive  that  you  do  not  understand. 
Tiro  meant  to  kill  you,  and  would  most  likely  have  suc- 
ceeded had  not  Napsus  first  tripped  him  and  then  killed 
him.  Napsus  shall  be  handsomely  rewarded  in  every  fashion 
within  my  power.  Tiro  has  been  dealt  with  as  he  deserved, 
as  any  similar  fool  deserves.  I  propose  to  protect  you  to  the 
extent  of  my  abilities  and  authority,  which  includes  peremp- 
tory execution  of  any  estate  slave  whom  I  so  much  as  sus- 
pect; I  don't  have  to  wait  for  any  overt  act,  nor  for  any 
threat,  uttered  or  whispered  or  hinted.  You  can  rely  on 
all  the  protection  I  can  give  you  and  I  fancy  it  will  suffice. 
If  there  is  any  other  fool  about  let  him  take  notice/' 

He  spoke  loudly,  so  as  to  be  audible  to  everyone  of  the 
gathering. 


FELIX  423 

I  stared  numb,  puzzled,  almost  dazed. 

"But,"  I  blurted  out,  "why  did  he  try  to  kill  me?  Why 
should  anyone  want  to  kill  me?" 

"You  don't  know  Umbria,  lad,"  spoke  the  Villicus,  indul- 
gently. "Many  eyes  in  addition  to  those  of  the  teamsters 
and  beast-wardens  beheld  you  on  Selinus,  galloping  your 
fastest  northwards  along  the  highroad.  Many  saw  you  turn 
Selinus  up  the  crossroad  the  viwrii  had  taken.  Many  saw 
their  officer  on  Selinus  when  the  cavalrymen  charged  down 
the  highroad  and  scattered  the  bandits.  Many  saw  you 
afoot  among  the  infantrymen  when  they  turned  from  the 
crossroad  into  the  highway  and  as  they  double-quicked 
down  it.  Every  partisan  of  the  outlaws  blames  you  for 
their  discomfiture,  and  regards  you  as  a  detestable  traitor, 
many  a  one  is  looking  for  such  a  chance  at  you  as  Tiro  thought 
he  saw.  I'll  give  you  a  body-guard  of  men  I  can  trust,  for 
the  rest  of  this  beast-catching  job.  But  keep  a  bright  look- 
out, yourself.  You  may  need  all  your  own  strength  and 
quickness  to  save  yourself." 

The  strain  of  this  surprise  and  anxiety  was  a  hundredfold 
as  trying  as  the  most  daunting  beast-catching.  I  felt  it. 

I  felt  it  more  after  a  second  similar  attempt  that  very 
afternoon.  I  had  threaded  a  dense  patch  of  undergrowth, 
approached  a  lurking  leopard,  caught  her  and  led  her  out 
of  the  thicket,  led  her  almost  to  her  waiting  cage.  By  this 
time  our  helpers  were  so  used  to  seeing  me  cage  lions,  pan- 
thers, leopards  and  tigers  that  they  no  longer,  as  at  first, 
hovered  at  a  distance,  gaping  at  me  as  I,  completely  alone 
with  my  catch,  led  it  towards  its  cage,  set  ready  by  its 
wagon,  from  which  the  team  had  been  loosed  and  removed: 
no  longer  drew  off  some  yards  beyond  the  cage  and  wagon 
and  stood  ready  for  instant  flight  if  my  capture  escaped  me; 
they  now  merely  drew  aside  as  I  approached  and  opened  a 
lane  for  me  and  my  charge,  no  more  afraid  than  if  I  had 
been  leading  a  calf. 

As  I  drew  near  the  cage,  my  mind  intent  on  the  leopard 
and  my  eyes  on  the  open  cage  door  and  its  fastenings,  a  slave 
of  one  of  the  neighboring  farmers  dashed  at  me,  sheath-knife 


424  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

uplifted.  He  came  from  my  left  side,  from  a  little  behind 
me.  I  whirled  round  to  face  him,  pulling  the  leopard  round 
roughly,  so  that  she  snarled.  I  let  her  go.  She  was  face  to 
face  with  my  reckless  assailant  and  they  were  close  together. 
She  gave  one  joyful,  gloating,  triumphant  squall  and  one 
mighty  leap.  Her  claws  sank  into  his  shoulders,  her  long 
white  fangs  met,  horridly  crunching,  in  his  throat,  and  she 
bore  him  to  the  earth  where  she  crouched  flat  on  him,  greedily 
gulping  his  blood. 

The  bystanders  fairly  fell  over  backwards  in  their  panic 
as  they  scattered.  I  stood  by  the  leopard,  and  when  she  had 
exhausted  the  supply  of  hot  blood,  succeeded  in  caging  her: 
but  dropped  limp  on  the  earth  once  I  had  fastened  her  in 
her  cage,  for  a  beast  of  prey  which  had  just  tasted  human 
blood  was  a  ward  with  which  I  had  felt  very  uncertain  of 
being  able  to  cope. 

After  that  no  one  attempted  to  molest  me  while  out  catch- 
ing the  escaped  beasts.  But  the  night  before  my  last  day 
of  beast-catching,  as  I  lay  abed  very  fast  asleep  at  a  villa 
fully  ten  miles  from  the  Imperial  villa  where  I  belonged,  I 
became  gradually  aware  of  some  noises,  then  slowly  I  wak- 
ened. There  was  a  fight  going  on  at  my  door.  Soon  after 
I  got  out  of  bed  our  host  and  my  master,  the  Villicus,  came 
with  a  light  and  three  or  four  slaves.  The  light  revealed 
one  of  my  fellow-slaves  flat  on  his  back  and  another  throttling 
him.  A  dagger  lay  on  the  floor.  Evidently  the  one  had 
saved  me  from  the  other. 

Late  next  afternoon,  far  up  in  the  hills  near  Helvillum,  I 
caught  and  caged  the  last  hyena.  These,  being  smaller  and 
more  cowardly  than  the  nobler  animals,  were  harder  to  locate. 
It  was  after  sunset  when  we  reached  the  villa  where  we  found 
the  procurator  in  charge  of  the  beast-train;  and  along  with 
him  and  his  men  were  welcomed  and  entertained. 

After  our  bath  and  a  lavish  dinner  the  Villicus  exchanged 
a  few  whispered  words  with  our  host  and  then  he  and  I  had 
a  long  conference  alone.  He  explained  that  my  life  was  in 
danger,  not  only  from  local  friends  of  Bulla  and  partisans 
of  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen  who  all  not  merely  regarded 


FELIX  425 

me  with  detestation  and  hatred  as  a  traitor  but  suspected 
me  of  being  a  government  spy,  but  also  from  the  King  of 
the  Highwaymen  himself,  who  was  certain  to  be  informed 
by  Bulla  of  how  they  had  been  discomfited  and  who  had  a 
long  arm  and  countless  capable  and  intrepid  agents.  He  was 
of  the  opinion  that  the  three  attempts  at  assassination  which 
I  had  escaped  were  a  mere  beginning.  He  was  emphatic  that 
I  could  not  remain  on  the  Imperial  estate  and  survive  many 
days.  He  advised  me  strongly  not  to  return  to  the  villa. 

Then  he  told  me  that  the  procurator  of  the  beast-train 
had  sent  to  Rome  by  an  Imperial  courier,  whom  he  had 
managed  to  intercept  at  a  change-station,  a  letter  setting 
forth  my  powers  over  fierce  animals  and  asking  that  an 
order  be  sent  for  my  transfer  from  the  horse-breeding  estate 
to  the  Beast  Barracks  attached  to  the  Colosseum,  where  the 
animals  are  housed  from  their  arrival  in  Rome,  until  their 
display  in  the  arena;  that  this  letter  had  come  into  the 
hands  of  the  same  officials  who  already  had  under  considera- 
tion the  requisition  for  me  made  by  the  procurator  in  charge 
of  the  Beast  Barracks ;  that  somehow  these  same  officials  ap- 
peared to  know  nothing  of  my  identity  with  the  slave  who 
had  foiled  the  conspirators  who  were  fomenting  a  mutiny 
in  the  ergastulum  at  Nuceria,  and  for  whose  manumission  a 
request  had  been  made  by  the  aldermen  of  that  town,  and 
indeed  appeared  to  know  nothing  of  any  such  request  for 
manumission;  that  a  requisition  for  my  transfer  from  the 
horse-breeding  estate  to  the  Beast-Barracks  at  Rome  had  been 
made  out,  approved  by  the  higher  officials,  sealed,  stamped 
and  sent  out  by  an  Imperial  courier  and  received  that  very 
afternoon  by  the  procurator  of  the  beast-train,  who  conse- 
quently had  authority  to  take  me  to  Rome  with  him  as  one 
of  the  attendants  on  the  animals  of  his  train,  which  was 
now  again  in  order,  I  having  recaged  all  the  four  hundred 
escaped  beasts,  except  five  hyenas,  one  panther  and  one  lion 
which  had  been  killed  by  stock-owners  and  their  slaves  while 
attacking  stock. 

The  Villicus  went  on  to  say  that  this  fell  out  very  advan- 
tageously for  me,  in  his  opinion.  He  advised  me  not  only 


426  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

to  go  with  the  procurator  without  demur,  but  to  arrange  with 
him  that  I  drop  the  name  of  Felix  and  adopt  some  other. 
He  pointed  out  that,  if  it  was  known  that  Felix  the  Horse- 
wrangler  of  Umbria  had  gone  to  Rome  as  Felix  the  Beast- 
Tamer,  then  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen  would  be  able 
without  difficulty  to  trace  me  and  set  on  me  his  ruthless 
agents  until  one  of  them  assassinated  me. 

I  felt  that  he  was  right.  The  danger  to  my  former  self 
as  Andivius  Hedulio,  implicated  in  a  conspiracy  against 
Caesar,  appeared  now  far  off  and  unimportant,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  the  secret  service  might  still  be  keen  to  catch 
me  and  the  hue  and  cry  out  after  me  from  the  Alps  to 
Ehegium;  the  danger  to  my  present  self  from  the  enmity 
of  Bulla,  of  his  ruffians,  of  their  partisans  in  Umbria,  of 
their  Chief,  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen,  whoever  he  might 
be,  appeared  close  and  menacing.  A  change  of  name  would 
make  it  impossible  for  Tanno  and  Vedia  to  carry  out  her 
plan  for  my  manumission  by  the  fiscus,  my  clandestine  jour- 
ney to  Bruttium  and  my  comfortable  and  unsuspected  seclu- 
sion there  until  some  other  prince  succeeded  our  present 
Emperor.  I  had  grasped  eagerly  at  the  thought  of  this 
plan  and  had  built  much  on  it.  But  I  realized  that  Bulk's 
admirers  or  the  agents  of  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen  would 
make  an  end  of  me  long  before  Vedia's  influence  could  obtain 
my  manumission;  and  that,  if  she  did  accomplish  all  she 
expected,  I  could  never  hope  to  escape  the  vigilance  of  the 
tenacious  and  expert  pursuers  who  would  inevitably  dog 
my  footsteps. 

I  thought  the  advice  of  the  Villicus  good.  I  regretted 
that  I  was  not  to  say  farewell  to  Septima;  she  deserved  a 
most  fervent  expression  of  my  esteem,  gratitude,  regard 
and  good  wishes;  but,  after  my  encounter  with  Vedia,  Sep- 
tima seemed  of  very  little  importance.  I  had  my  amulet- 
bag  on  its  thong  about  my  neck  and  my  coin-belt  about  my 
waist.  I  agreed  to  go  with  the  procurator  and  thanked  the 
Villicus  for  his  solicitude  for  me,  for  his  good  offices  and 
for  his  advice. 

He  said  that  it  would  be  best  that  he  should  not  know 


FELIX  427 

what  name  I  meant  to  adopt.  Also  he  said  that,  if  I  was 
to  escape  the  vengeance  of  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen, 
it  would  be  imperative  that  I  be  thought  dead;  he  would 
give  out  that  I  had  been  killed  by  one  of  my  fellow-slaves 
and  everybody  would  assume  that  I  had  perished  at  the 
hands  of  some  partisan  of  the  outlaws;  Bulla  and  the  King 
of  the  Highwaymen  would  feel  their  animosity  satiated. 

I  reflected  that  whereas  news  of  my  supposed  assassination 
would  fill  Vedia  with  grief  and  would  probably,  after  her 
grief  abated,  leave  her  feeling  free  to  marry,  yet,  if  a  false 
report  of  my  death  was  not  spread  abroad,  a  genuine  report 
of  my  actual  death  soon  would  be.  It  was  a  choice  between 
a  lesser  and  a  greater  evil.  I  acquiesced. 

I  then  ventured  to  ask  him  if  he  knew  anything  as  to  how 
far  the  brigands  had  succeeded  in  spite  of  my  intervention 
and  how  far  they  had  failed  because  of  it.  He  told  me  that 
they  had  effected  their  escape  with  the  propraetor's  coin- 
chests,  the  proprsetor,  and  the  procurator  and  had  carried 
off  the  widow's  maid  by  mistake  for  the  widow,  on  account 
of  her  clever  device  of  changing  clothes  with  her  mistress. 

Also  that  Vedia  had  announced  that  she  would  pay  a  large 
Vansom  for  her  maid. 

I  then  felt  safe  to  ask  what  had  become  of  Vedia,  her  name 
being  known  from  her  advertisement.  He  said  she  had  pro- 
cured horses  and  mules  and  had  returned  to  Eome,  sending 
up  agents  from  Nuceria  to  negotiate  with  the  bandits,  rescue 
Lydia  and  pay  her  ransom. 

The  next  day,  at  dawn,  I  set  off  with  the  beast-train,  rid- 
ing by  the  procurator.  He  and  I  and  the  Villicus  had  had 
a  talk.  Afte'r  the  Villicus  left  my  name  was  Festus. 

I  asked  the  procurator  what  had  become  of  the  bullion 
on  account  of  which  the  brigands  had  routed  out  the  cages. 
He  laughed  and  asked  whether  I  had  noted  anything  pecu- 
liar in  the  handling  of  the  cages  while  I  was  returning  their 
contents  to  them.  I  said  I  had  noticed  that  the  rollers 
lashed  to  the  wagons  were  never  used,  but  fresh-cut  rollers 
each  time  a  cage  was  taken  off  a  wagon  or  put  back  on. 

He  laughed  again. 


428  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"Yon  can  conjecture  then,"  he  said,  "why  the  outlaws  got 
no  grain  of  the  dust,  let  alone  any  nugget:  six  hundred 
rollers,  even  with  very  moderate  holes  bored  into  half  of 
them,  would  hold  more  bullion  than  the  procurator  was 
convoying." 

I  laughed  also. 

"I  suppose,"  I  said,  "it  could  not  be  told  which  rollers 
were  bored  out  and  might  crush  if  used." 

"Just  so !"  said  he. 

We  journeyed  to  Eome  with  as  much  hurry  as  could  be 
made  by  such  a  beast-train,  which  was  very  slowly  for  men 
on  good  horses.  We  made  excursions  up  crossroads,  idled 
at  inns,  were  entertained  at  villas  and  I  decidedly  enjoyed 
the  beginning  of  my  life  as  Festus  the  Beast-Tamer.  We 
were  fourteen  full  days  on  the  road. 

I  had  time  to  meditate  on  the  fifth  fulfillment  of  the 
prophecy  of  the  Aemilian  Sibyl.  Also  I  had  time  to  offer 
two  white  hens  to  Mercury  at  Nuceria,  at  Spolitum,  at  Inter- 
amnia,  at  Narnia  and  at  Ocriculum. 

Towards  sunset  just  before  our  last  nighfs  halt  out  of 
the  city,  from  a  hilltop  on  the  highway,  I  had  a  glorious 
view  of  Eome  bathed  in  mellow  evening  sunlight,  much  as 
I  had  viewed  it  when  I  came  down  the  same  highroad  with 
the  mutineers  from  Britain.  As  always  this  unsurpassable 
sight  filled  me  with  intense  emotions. 

We  entered  Eome,  of  course,  by  the  Flaminian  Gate  and 
at  dawn.  Before  sunrise  I  was  in  the  great  mass  of  buildings 
variously  known  as  the  Choragium,  the  Therotheca,  the 
Animal  Mansions  and  the  Beast-Barracks.  These  were 
mostly  of  many  stories,  the  ground-level  used  for  the  beasts, 
the  second  floor  for  their  keepers  and  attendants,  the  cage- 
cleaners,  the  overseers,  and  the  rest  of  the  army  of  men 
who  cared  for  the  animals,  and  the  upper  floors  utilized  as 
store-rooms  for  all  sorts  of  weapons,  armor,  costumes,  im- 
plements and  apparatus  used  in  and  for  the  spectacles; 
swords,  spears,  arrows,  shields,  helmets,  breast-plates,  corse- 
lets, kilts,  greaves,  boots,  cloaks,  tunics,  poles,  rope,  pulleys 
winches,  jack-screws,  derricks,  wagons,  carts,  and  the  like- 


FELIX  429 

The  jumble  of  buildings  was  without  any  sort  of  general 
plan.  Apparently  a  courtyard  and  the  structures  about  it 
had  been  found  necessary  for  housing  the  beasts  and  their 
attendants  and  had  been  bought  by  the  management  of  the 
Colosseum.  When  it  was  overtaxed^  as  the  number  of  ani- 
mals exhibited  increased,  an  adjacent  property  had  been 
acquired  and  annexed.  So  the  Choragium  had  been  created 
and  extended  till  it  now  covered  many  acres  and  had  many 
courtyards,  all  arcaded  on  all  sides.  Under  the  arcades 
were  set  as  many  cages  as  they  could  accommodate;  when 
the  beasts  were  too  numerous  for  their  cages  to  be  all  under 
the  arcades  some  were  stood  out  in  the  courtyards. 

I  was  comfortably  housed  in  light,  airy,  roomy,  clean  and 
well-furnished  quarters  on  one  of  the  biggest  courtyards. 
From  dawn  after  my  first  nighf  s  sleep  there  I  was  busy 
quelling  vicious  beasts  so  their  cages  could  be  cleaned;  keep- 
ing others  quiet  while  the  beast-surgeons  dressed  wounds  in- 
flicted by  their  captors  or  keepers  or  sores  caused  by  their 
confinement;  inducing  others  to  swallow  the  remedies  the 
animal-doctors  thought  good  for  them;  leading  beasts  out 
of  their  cages  into  others;  and  so  on. 

Before  I  had  been  a  full  day  at  my  duties  the  procurator 
of  the  Beast-Barracks  complimented  me,  declared  that  I  was 
his  very  ideal  of  just  the  kind  of  man  he  had  always  needed 
and  wanted,  averred  that  I  was  already  indispensable  and 
vowed  that  he  could  not  conceive  how  he  or  the  Choragium 
had  ever  gotten  on  without  me.  Within  a  very  few  days  he 
came  to  my  quarters  and  said : 

"I  want  you  to  be  contented  here.  I  won't  listen  to  a 
word  hinting  at  your  leaving.  Otherwise  I'll  do  all  I  can 
to  gratify  every  wish  of  yours  not  inconsistent  with  your 
continuing  here  and  keeping  up  as  you  have  begun.  Of 
course,  within  a  few  days  now,  you'll  have  no  such  rush  of 
all-day  toil  as  you  have  been  having.  You  have  been  doing 
in  the  past  few  days  all  the  left-over  jobs  which  should  have 
been  attended  to  since  warm  weather  began.  Once  you  get 
clear  of  legacies  from  the  past  you'll  find  a  day's  work  can 


430  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

be  done  in  much  less  than  a  day  and  will  neither  exhaust 
nor  weary  you.  Now  what  can  I  do  to  make  you  as  com- 
fortable as  possible?" 

He  had  sat  down  and  had  motioned  me  to  be  seated  also. 
I  ruminated. 

"In  the  first  place/'  I  said,  "I  do  not  want  to  be  made 
to  show  off  in  the  arena  before  audiences.  I  am  willing  to 
tame  animals  and  to  keep  on  taming  animals,  but  I  do  not 
want  to  be  forced  to  display  my  powers  before  the  populace 
and  the  nobility,  Senate  and  court.  I  have  the  most  power- 
ful antipathy  to  being  compelled  to  become  a  performer  as 
part  of  a  public  spectacle." 

"Set  your  mind  at  rest,"  he  said.  "I  give  my  pledge  that, 
unless  my  authority  is  overridden,  you  shall  not  take  part 
in  public  spectacles  except  that  you  may  often  have  to  enter 
the  arena  to  lead  out  ferocious  beasts  which  are  not  to  be 
killed  or  which  the  Emperor,  or  some  of  the  courtiers,  sen- 
ators, nobles  or  populace  have  taken  a  fancy  to  for  some  dis- 
play of  courage  or  craft  and  have  ordered  spared.  The  driv- 
ing into  a  cage  or  out  of  a  postern  of  such  a  beast  is  gen- 
erally an  irritating  matter,  delaying  the  spectacle  and  often 
calling  for  the  use  of  as  many  as  a  hundred  muscular,  agile 
and  bold  attendants.  I  perceive  that  you  can  do  alone, 
quickly  and  easily,  what  a  large  gang  of  eager  men  has 
often  taken  a  long  time  to  accomplish.  Often  they  have  to 
kill  a  recalcitrant  beast.  I  feel  that  I  need  you  for  this 
and  I  trust  that  you  are  willing." 

"Entirely,"  I  answered. 

"Good!"  said  he,  and  resumed: 

"Now,  what  is  your  next  point?" 

"In  the  second  place,"  I  said,  "I  do  not  want  to  be  pestered 
with  visitors;  nobles  or  wealthy  idlers  who  take  a  fancy  to 
me  and  think  they  are  conferring  a  favor  on  me  by  intruding 
on  me  and  wasting  my  time  with  their  inquisitive  questions 
and  patronizing  remarks.  In  particular  I  have  a  horror  of 
the  kind  of  women  who  have  a  fad  for  molesting  with  their 
attentions  singers,  actors,  gladiators,  beast-fighters,  chariot* 
eers  and  so  on;  if  one  of  them  gets  after  me  and  the  infeo* 


FELIX  431 

tion  spreads  to  more  I  shall  find  life  here  in  Rome  altogether 
unendurable. 

"I  speak  feelingly  (I  thought  it  proper  to  lie  like  a  Greek, 
if  necessary,  in  a  situation  like  mine).  Where  I  was  before 
I  suffered  from  the  attentions  of  enthusiastic  admirers  and 
I  have  had  all  I  want  of  it  and  far  more;  enough  to  last 
half  a  dozen  lifetimes/' 

"Festus,"  said  the  procurator,  "where  were  you  before?" 

"If  you  had  seen  my  back,"  I  said,  "you  wouldn't  expect 
me  to  tell  you." 

"I  don't  expect  you  to  tell  me,"  he  laughed,  "but  I  could 
not  help  asking;  you  are  such  a  wonder  that  I  am  tormented 
with  the  desire  to  know  all  about  you,  not  merely  where  you 
came  from  and  how  you  got  into  the  ergastulum,  at  Nuceria. 
But  I  shall  not  press  you  for  any  information  about  your- 
self. Keep  your  own  secrets  as  long  as  you  are  willing  to 
work  miracles  for  me. 

"I  don't  want  to  see  your  back;  without  seeing  it  I  may 
say  that  if  anyone  ill-treated  you  he  was  an  amazing  fool. 
You  shall  not  be  flogged  here,  nor  ill-used  in  any  way.  I'll 
take  all  the  measures  in  my  power  to  ensure  that  no  visitors 
bother  you  and  that  you  are  protected  not  only  from  genuine 
sporting  nobles  but  still  more  from  the  silly  loungers  who 
think  it  adds  to  their  importance  to  make  the  acquaintance 
of  all  persons  of  public  reputation.  Especially  I'll  have  you 
guarded  from  intrusive  fine  ladies." 

"What  next?" 

"I  want  plenty  of  the  best  fruit,"  I  said  boldly. 

"You'll  get  all  you  can  eat  of  whatever  the  markets  afford," 
he  said,  "and  understand  right  here  that  I'll  indulge  you  to 
any  extent  in  anything  relating  to  your  food  or  wine,  as 
long  as  you  keep  sober.  Similarly  you  can  have  anything 
you  ask  for  in  the  way  of  extra  clothing  or  bedding  or  fur- 
nishings for  your  quarters.  If  you  don't  like  the  slave 
detailed  to  wait  on  you  I'll  have  another  put  in  his  place 
and  keep  on  changing  till  you  get  one  to  suit  you. 

"You  are  to  be  indulged  and  pampered  in  every  way  in 
iny  power,  except  that  I  mean  to  keep  you  hard  at  work, 


432  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

long  hours  each  day,  at  the  cages,  whenever  it  is  necessary/* 
I  thanked  him  and  agreed  to  do  my  best  to  please  him. 
Not  many  days  later,  as  he  had  foretold,  my  work  became 
less   continuous  and  less  burdensome.     Soon   afterwards  I 
settled  into  a  sort  of  daily  routine  which  occupied  me,  but 
did  not  wear  me  out  and  which  often  left  me  not  a  little 
free  time. 

I  found  that  I  was  entirely  free  to  go  and  come  as  I 
pleased,  when  not  occupied.  I  did  go  to  the  Temple  of 
Mercury  and  offer  two  white  hens  bought  in  the  Forum 
Boarium,  as  I  had  done  when  in  the  City  with  Maternus. 
Otherwise  I  kept  pretty  close  for  more  than  a  month,  I 
feared  to  be  recognized  as  myself  by  some  secret-service 
agent;  I  feared  almost  as  much  to  be  identified  as  Felix 
the  Horse-Tamer  by  some  henchman  of  the  King  of  the 
Highwaymen.  I  wanted  to  try  to  communicate  with  Vedia, 
but  the  more  I  pondered  on  how  to  do  so  the  more  I  saw 
only  betrayal,  recognition  and  death  as  the  probable  results 
of  every  plan  I  devised. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

FESTUS 

DOMICILED  in  the  Choragium  and  busy  there  and  in 
the  Colosseum  I  spent  almost  a  year.  Until  the  ap- 
proach of  winter  put  a  stop  to  spectacles  in  the  arena  and 
after  the  outset  of  spring  permitted  their  resumption,  I  was 
not  only  continuously  busy,  but  entirely  contented.  Of  the 
dreary  and  tedious  winter  between,  which  was  intensely  dis- 
piriting and  appeared  interminable,  the  less  I  say  the  better. 
I  do  not  want  to  remind  myself  of  it. 

I  was  of  course  free  from  the  bodily  miseries  which  had 
made  my  winters  at  Placentia  and  Nuceria  so  terrible :  I  did 
not  suffer  from  cold,  hunger,  vermin,  sleeplessness,  overwork, 
exhaustion,  weakness,  blows  and  abuse.  I  was,  on  the  con- 


FESTUS  483 

trary,  comfortably  lodged  and  clothed,  well  attended,  lavishly 
and  excellently  fed  and  humored  by  the  procurator. 

But  at  Placentia  and  Nuceria  I  had  solaced  myself  amid 
the  horror  of  my  situation  by  reminding  myself  that  I  was, 
at  least,  alive,  and,  as  long  as  I  was  in  an  ergastidum,  entirely 
safe  from  any  danger  of  being  recognized  and  executed.  Here, 
in  Eome,  often  in  the  arena,  under  the  eyes  of  sixty  thousand 
Romans,  thousands  of  whom  had  known  me  in  my  prosperity 
and  hundreds  of  whom  had  known  me  familiarly  from  my 
childhood,  I  was,  every  instant,  in  peril  of  recognition  and 
of  betrayal  to  the  secret  service.  While  I  was  actually  in  the 
arena  I  was  so  busy  or  so  exhilarated  by  my  participation  in 
the  most  magnificent  spectacle  on  earth  that  I  never  worried 
a  moment.  I  seldom  worried  while  I  was  occupied  with  any 
of  my  duties  in  the  Colosseum  or  Choragium,  although  I  knew 
I  was  very  liable  to  recognition,  for  the  passages  and  vaults 
of  the  Colosseum  and  the  courtyards  of  the  Choragium  were 
habitually  visited  by  men  of  sporting  tastes;  gentlemen, 
'wealthy  idlers,  noblemen,  senators,  courtiers,  even  the  Em- 
peror himself.  I  was,  in  my  intellect,  conscious  of  my  dan- 
ger ;  but,  while  I  was  occupied,  it  did  not  perturb  my  feelings. 

During  the  idleness  of  the  long  winter  my  peril  did  rob 
me  of  sleep,  of  appetite  and  of  peace  of  mind.  I  had  con- 
tinually to  devise  excuses  for  remaining  in  my  lodgings,  for 
declining  invitations  to  banquets,  for  keeping  to  myself.  I 
dreaded  that  the  procurator  himself  was  growing  suspicious 
of  me.  He  had,  in  the  kindness  of  his  heart,  thrown  in  my 
way  offers  of  opportunities  for  outings,  for  diversions,  for  en- 
tertainments, which  any  man  in  my  situation  might  have  been 
expected  to  accept  with  alacrity.  My  refusals,  I  felt,  might 
set  him  to  thinking.  He  was  entirely  loyal  to  the  Emperor 
and  the  government.  If  the  idea  ever  crossed  his  mind  he 
would,  at  once,  have  reported  to  the  secret  service  that  it 
would  be  well  to  take  a  look  at  Festus  the  Beast-Tamer;  he 
might  be  other  than  he  appeared.  The  anxiety  caused  by 
these  thoughts  preyed  upon  my  mind. 

Without  reason,  apparently.  The  procurator,  as  I  look 
back  on  that  deadly  winter,  seems  to  have  accepted  all  my 


434  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

peculiarities  without  question.  If  I  would  remain  content 
and  quell  obstreperous  beasts  when  spring  opened  as  I  had 
until  autumn  ushered  in  winter,  I  might  do  and  be  anything 
I  pleased.  If  I  pleased  to  mope  in  my  quarters,  pace  under 
the  arcades  of  the  courtyard,  lie  abed  from  early  dusk  till 
after  sunrise,  what  mattered  that  to  him  ?  Such,  apparently, 
was  his  attitude  of  mind.  He  gave  orders  that  I  was  to  have 
my  meals  alone  in  my  quarters,  as  I  requested.  He  had 
brought  to  me,  from  the  libraries  of  the  Basilica  Ulpia,  most 
of  the  books  I  asked  for.  I  had  read  all  the  books  on  catch- 
ing, caring  for,  curing,  managing,  taming  and  fighting  beasts 
which  formed  the  library  of  the  Choragium.  After  they  were 
exhausted  I  asked  the  procurator  for  more.  As  he  had  a 
cousin  among  the  assistant  curators  at  the  Ulpian  Library 
he  was  able  to  gratify  me.  After  I  could  learn  of  no  more 
books  on  beasts  I  took  to  comedies  and  read  Naevius,  all  of 
Menander  and  Csecilius,  and  most  of  the  best  plays  of  other 
writers  of  comedies;  then  I  turned  to  histories,  which  I 
thought  safe,  and  spent  my  days  for  the  remainder  of  the 
winter  sleeping  early,  long  and  late,  eating  abundant  meals 
of  good  food,  walking  miles  round  and  round  the  big  court- 
yard under  the  empty  arcades,  exercising  in  the  gymnasium  of 
the  Choragium,  steaming  and  parboiling  and  half-roasting 
myself  in  its  small  but  very  well-appointed  and  well-served 
baths,  and,  otherwise,  reading  every  bit  of  my  daylight.  I 
kept  well  and  I  remained  safe,  ignored  and  unnoticed.  The 
procurator  kept  his  word  as  to  shielding  me  from  visitors, 
and  he  said  he  had  much  ado  to  succeed,  for  the  ease  and 
certitude  with  which,  in  the  open  arena,  before  all  Kome,  I 
approached  a  lion  or  tiger  which  had  just  slaughtered  a 
criminal  and  lapped  his  blood,  seized  the  beast  by  the  mane 
or  scruff  of  the  neck,  as  if  he  had  been  a  tame  dog,  and  led 
him  to  a  postern  or  into  his  cage,  roused  much  interest,  much 
curiosity,  many  enquiries  and  not  a  little  desire  to  see  me 
closer,  question  me,  talk  with  me,  get  acquainted  with  me 
and  learn  the  secret  of  my  power. 

I  thanked  the  porcurator  for  his  resolution  and  success 
in  rebuffing  would-be  patrons  eager  to  pamper  me.     Also, 


FESTUS  435 

all  winter,  I  dreaded  that  he  would  be  less  lucky  or  less 
adamantine  when  spring  came. 

Thus  passed  my  fourth  winter  since  my  disaster. 

I  might  have  been  spared  much  of  my  anxiety  during 
the  winter  if  I  had  learned  sooner  that  such  aloofness  as 
mine  was  no  novelty  to  the  procurator,  that  he  had,  among 
his  most  valued  subordinates,  a  man  even  more  unsociable 
than  I,  and  even  more  highly  esteemed  and  more  sedulously 
pampered.  This  was  the  celebrated  and  regretted  Spaniard, 
Mercablis,  who,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  was  accorded 
'by  the  Choragium  a  home  of  his  own,  a  retinue  of  servants 
and  the  fulfillment  of  every  whim,  of  which  the  chief  was  his 
determination  to  have  as  little  as  possible  to  do  with  any 
human  being  except  his  wife  and  their  three  children,  for 
he  was  not  a  slave,  but  a  freeman.  In  his  way  Mercablis  was 
as  celebrated  as  Felix  Bulla  the  brigand  or  Agyllius  Septen- 
trio  the  actor  of  mimes,  and  the  memory  of  his  fame  yet 
lingers  in  the  recollections  of  the  aged  and  in  the  talk  of 
their  children  and  grandchildren.  For  it  was  Mercablis 
who,  for  half  a  life-time,  invented,  rehearsed,  and  kept  secret 
till  the  moment  of  its  display  the  noon-hour  sensational  sur- 
prise for  each  day  of  games  in  the  Colosseum. 

I  have,  in  my  later  years,  met  many  persons  who  con- 
gratulated me  on  my  luck  in  having  personally  known  and 
frequently  talked  with  Mercablis,  just  as  many  have  similarly 
envied  me  my  encounters  with  Felix  Bulla.  For  myself  I 
have  never  plumed  myself  on  such  features  of  my  adventures, 
though  they  are  not  unpleasing  to  recall. 

When,  in  the  spring  of  the  next  year,  while  Fuscianus  and 
Silanus  were  consuls,  I  came  to  know  Mercablis  and  to  con- 
sider him,  I  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  his  inclination 
for  solitude  and  his  aloofness  were  not  the  result  of  any 
dread  of  strangers  or  of  any  need  for  seclusion,  like  mine 
but  the  product  of  a  disposition  naturally  churlish,  crabbed 
and  unsocial. 

Habituated  as  the  procurator  had  been  to  Mercablis  and 
his  loathing  for  strangers,  my  desire  for  privacy  had  seemed 
to  him  as  a  matter  of  course. 


436  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Eesolute  as  Mercablis  was  to  be  let  alone,  he  was  enormously 
vain  and  self-conceited  and  puffed  up  with  his  conviction 
of  his  own  importance.  He  never  smiled,  but  some  subtle 
alteration  in  his  countenance  betrayed  that  any  flattery 
pleased  him. 

He  was  a  tall,  spare,  bony  man,  with  a  dry,  brown,  leathery 
skin,  lean  legs  and  arms,  a  stringy  neck,  almost  no  chin,  a 
hooked  nose,  deep  set  little  greeny-gray  eyes  and  intensely 
black,  harsh,  stiff,  curly  hair  and  very  bushy  eyebrows.  He 
wore  old,  worn,  faded  garments  and  stalked  about  as  if  the 
fate  of  the  universe  depended  on  him. 

Certainly  he  never  failed  to  surprise  all  Rome  when  the 
time  came  for  his  novelty  to  be  displayed.  Every  one  which 
I  saw,  either  earlier  when  I  was  myself  or  while  in  the 
Choragium  as  Festus  the  Beast-Wizard  or  later,  justified  the 
claim  of  Mercablis  to  being  the  most  original-minded  sen- 
sation-deviser ever  known  in  the  Colosseum  or  elsewhere. 

One  of  his  utterly  unpredictable  surprises  recurs  often  to 
my  recollection. 

It  was  a  hot  July  day  and,  during  the  noon  pause,  the  ven- 
dors of  cooling  drinks  did  a  good  business  among  the  spec- 
tators of  the  upper  tiers.  To  the  ring-rope  round  the  opening 
in  the  awning,  over  the  middle  of  the  arena,  had  been  fastened 
a  big,  strong,  pulley  block.  One  of  the  lightest  and  most 
agile  of  the  awning-boys  hung  by  his  hands  from  the  radial 
rope  stretched  from  nearest  that  pulley,  worked  out  to  it, 
sat  on  it,  rove  through  it  a  light  cord  which  he  carried  coiled 
at  his  waist,  and  worked  back  along  the  radial  rope,  leaving 
the  cord  trailing  from  the  pulley-wheel  to  the  sand  of  the 
arena.  By  means  of  the  cord  the  arena-slaves  rove  through 
the  pulley  first  a  light  rope,  then  a  very  strong  one. 

The  end  of  this  rope  they  fastened  to  an  iron  ring,  from 
which  hung  four  stout  chains,  three  of  them  of  equal  length, 
each  about  thirty  feet,  whose  lower  ends,  at  points  precisely 
equidistant  from  each  other,  were  fastened  to  a  big  iron 
hoop  all  of  twenty-four  feet  across.  From  the  hoop  hung  six 
lighter  chains,  like  the  fourth  chain  which  hung  from  the 
ring.  As  the  six  were  fastened  to  the  hoop  either  where  one 


FESTUS  437 

of  the  upper  chains  ended  or  exactly  between  two  of  them 
each  of  the  six  was  precisely  twelve  feet  from  those  on  either 
side  of  it  and  from  the  center  chain  hanging  from  the  ring. 
The  hoop  hung  perfectly  level  and  each  of  the  seven  chains, 
about  thirty  feet  below  the  level  of  the  hoop,  had  hung  to  it  an 
iron  disk,  a  yard  or  more  across,  hanging  by  a  ring-bolt  in 
its  center  and  perfectly  level.  From  a  second  ring-bolt  in 
the  underside  of  each  disk  depended  more  of  the  same  light, 
strong  chain,  to  a  length  of  some  thirty  feet  below  the  disks. 

I,  like  all  the  arena-slaves  and  Choragium-slaves,  like  all 
the  spectators,  knew  that  this  apparatus  portended  some  un- 
predictable surprise ;  but  I,  like  the  others,  like  the  audience, 
gaped  at  it,  incredulous  and  unable  to  conjecture  what  it 
could  be  for. 

Then  arena-slaves  carried  in  and  set  down  on  the  sand  a 
full  hundred  feet  from  the  hoop  and  chains,  a  dozen  or  more 
wicker  crates  full  of  quacking  white  ducks  with  yellow  bills. 
They  and  the  noise  they  made  recalled  unpleasantly  to  me 
my  sensations  as  I  clung  to  the  alder  bush  immersed  in  Bran 
Brook,  after  Agathemer  and  I  had  crawled  through  the  drain 
at  Villa  Andivia. 

Then  there  was  a  delay  and  I  was  called  out  to  assist  the 
mahout  of  the  Choragium's  best  trick  elephant,  the  smallest 
full-grown  elephant  I  ever  saw  and  the  worst-dispositioned 
elephant  of  any  age  or  size  which  ever  I  encountered.  When 
I  and  the  mahout  had  put  him  in  a  good  humor  he  entered  the 
arena  and  stationed  himself  by  the  crates  of  quacking  ducks. 

Then  there  marched  out  into  the  arena  a  procession  of 
arena-slaves,  four  by  four,  each  four  carrying  by  two  poles  a 
strong  cage  housing  a  big  African  ape.  These  cages  they  set 
down  each  under  one  of  the  chains  depending  from  the  hoop. 
Then  I  was  called  to  deal  with  the  baboons. 

Now  I  fear  no  beast,  but  of  all  beasts  I  most  dislike  an 
African  ape.  These  creatures,  inhabiting  the  mountains  of 
Mauretania,  Ga^tulia  and  the  Province  of  Africa,  are  big  as 
a  big  dog  and  have  teeth  as  long  and  cruel  as  any  big  dog. 
They  are  violent  and  treacherous.  Whereas  any  wild  bear 
or  wolf  I  ever  approached  would  permit  me  to  handle  him 


438  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

without  snarling  or  growling,  every  baboon  I  ever  had  to 
handle  made  some  sort  of  threatening  noise  inside  him. 
Although  none  ever  bit  me  or  attempted  any  attack  on  me 
yet  the  hideousness  of  such  apes  and  their  vile  odor  always 
made  me  timid  in  dealing  with  them. 

Each  of  these  seven  had  around  his  middle  an  iron  hoop- 
belt,  with  a  strong  ring-bolt  in  the  back.  It  was  my  task 
to  affix  the  end  of  each  pendant  chain  to  the  ring-bolt  in  the 
belt  of  one  of  the  baboons.  This  was  easy  to  do,  as  each 
cage,  in  addition  to  a  door  in  one  side,  had  a  trap-door  in  its 
top;  and  each  chain  had  a  snap-hook  ringed  to  its  last  link. 
More  difficult  was  managing  so  that  the  apes  should  be  hauled 
up  out  of  their  cages  without  any  two  swinging  sideways 
enough  to  clutch  each  other ;  for,  while  baboons  in  their  native 
haunts  hunt  in  packs,  male  baboons  not  of  the  same  pack 
always  fight  venomously  and  members  of  the  same  pack,  if 
separated  for  a  time,  are  as  hostile  to  each  other  as  males  of 
different  packs. 

By  care  and  caution,  the  slaves  at  the  rope  obeying  my 
signals  promptly,  I  at  last  had  all  seven  apes  clear  of  their 
cages,  and  not  swinging  too  much.  Then  the  cages  were 
removed  and  the  hoop  lowered  somewhat.  Then  I  steadied 
each  chain  till  none  had  any  side-ways  swing.  Each  ape 
finally  hung  on  a  level  with  every  other  ape,  and  about  two 
yards  above  the  sand  of  the  arena. 

I  say  finally,  for  it  was  at  once  manifest  why  the  disks  were 
hung  to  the  chains ;  each  baboon  swarmed  up  his  chain ;  each 
got  no  higher  than  the  disk,  for  it  was  too  broad  for  hia 
arm  to  reach  the  chain  above  it,  so  that  each  failed  to  climb 
past  it,  and,  after  some  chattering,  and  hesitation,  each 
climbed  down  his  chain  again  and  hung  by  his  belt,  every 
one  mowing  and  chattering  at  his  neighbors,  frantic  with 
hostility  and  eager  for  a  fight. 

When  all  seven  were  quiet  the  herald  proclaimed  that 
wagers  might  now  be  laid  on  the  apes,  the  survivor  of  the 
seven  to  be  the  winner.  Each  had  a  different  color  painted 
on  his  iron  ring:  blue,  green,  red,  yellow  and  so  on.  The 
spectators  appeared  to  make  bets. 


FESTUS  439 

Then  when  the  arena  was  clear  between  the  elephant  and 
the  baboons  and  beyond  them,  the  maliout  spoke  to  his 
charge,  the  elephant  inserted  his  trunk  through  the  opened 
lid  of  a  crate  of  ducks,  grasped  a  duck  by  the  neck,  lifted  it 
out,  swung  it,  and  hurled  it  at  the  hanging  apes.  It  hurtled 
through  the  air,  flapping  its  wings  in  vain,  and  passed  between 
the  baboons,  they  grabbing  for  it  as  it  shot  by,  it  falling  far 
beyond  them  on  the  sand. 

A  roar  of  appreciative  yells  rose  from  the  spectators. 

The  elephant  threw  another  duck  and  another.  The 
third  came  within  reach  of  one  ape.  He  seized  it  and  bit  it 
savagely,  tearing  it  to  pieces  with  vicious  glee.  Its  impact 
set  him  swinging. 

Duck  after  duck  was  hurled  till  another  baboon  caught 
and  rent  another.  This  went  on  till  two  of  the  swinging 
apes  came  within  grasping  distance  of  each  other.  At  once 
they  grappled,  bit  each  other  and  fought  till  one  was  killed. 

It  made  a  queer  spectacle ;  the  crates  of  quacking  ducks,  the 
thin-legged,  blackskinned,  turbaned  mahout,  the  wickedly 
comprehending  little  elephant,  the  chattering  baboons,  the 
ducks  hurtling  through  the  air,  and  running  about  the  sand 
all  over  the  arena,  for  many  of  them  fell  and  escaped  alive, 
the  yelling  spectators  of  the  upper  tiers,  the  mildly  amused 
parties  in  the  Imperial  and  senatorial  boxes,  the  blaze  of  sun 
over  everything. 

The  duck-throwing  was  continued  till  only  one  ape  re- 
mained alive. 

It  was  all  very  exciting  and  so  whimsically  odd  that  it  was 
acclaimed  a  most  successful  surprise.  It  is  yet  remembered 
by  those  who  saw  it  or  heard  of  it  from  them  as  the  most 
spectacular  and  peculiar  of  all  the  inventions  of  the  lamented 
Mercablis. 

Of  my  experiences  while  in  the  Choragium  and  about  the 
amphitheater  the  most  notable  were  my  opportunities  for 
observing  Commodus  as  a  beast-fighter,  the  passion  for  the 
sport  which  possessed  him,  his  absorption  in  it,  even  rage 
for  it,  his  unflagging  interest  in  it,  his  untiring  pursuit  of 
it,  and  his  amazing  strength  and  astounding  skill  in  the  use 


440  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  arrows,  spears,  swords,  and  even  clubs  as  weapons  for* 
killing  beasts. 

Keen  as  was  his  enjoyment  of  his  own  dexterity  and  fond 
as  he  was  of  displaying  it  to  admiring  and  applauding  on- 
lookers, infatuated  as  he  was  with  the  intoxication  of  butch- 
ery, proficiency  and  adulation,  he  retained  sufficient  vestiges 
of  decency  and  self-respect  to  restrain  him  from  exhibiting 
himself  as  a  beast-fighter  in  public  spectacles  before  all  Rome. 
Of  late  years  I  have  heard  not  a  few  persons  declare  and 
maintain  that  they  had  seen  and  recognized  him  in  the  arena 
during  the  mornings  of  public  festivals ;  that  his  outline,  atti- 
tudes, movements  and  his  manner  of  handling  a  sword,  a 
club,  a  spear  or  a  bow  were  unmistakable.  I  asseverate  that 
these  persons  were  and  are  self-deceived,  or  talking  idly  or 
repeating  what  they  have  heard  from  others  or  merely  lying. 
Commodus  never  so  far  debased  himself  as  to  take  his  stand 
in  the  arena  of  the  Colosseum  on  the  morning  of  a  public 
spectacle  with  all  Rome  looking  on;  still  less  did  he  ever 
Disgrace  himself  by  actually  killing  beasts  in  full  sight  of 
tfr$  whole  populace.  I  speak  from  full  knowledge.  I  know. 

I  may  remark  here  that,  taking  the  other  extreme  from 
these  detractors  or  gossips,  there  exist  persons  who  maintain 
that  Commodus  never  drove  a  chariot  in  public,  let  alone  as  a 
Competing  jockey  in  a  succession  of  races  in  the  Circus  Max- 
fmus  on  a  regular  festival  day  in  full  view  of  all  Eome ;  like- 
wise that  he  not  only  never,  as  a  gladiator,  killed  an  adversary 
in  public  combat,  but  never  so  much  as  shed  blood  in  any  of 
his  fights;  asserting  that  he  merely  practised  with  lath  foils 
inside  the  Palace. 

These  latter  persons  are  of  the  class  who  are  horrified  that 
a  Prince  of  the  Republic  should  have  debased  himself  as 
did  Commodus,  who  feel  that  it  is  discreditable  to  Imperial 
Majesty  in  general  that  such  shameful  occurrences  took  place 
and  who  are  foolish  enough  to  fancy  that  harm  done  may  be 
undone  by  forgetting  what  happened,  by  whispering  about  it, 
by  keeping  silent,  by  hushing  up  as  much  as  possible  all 
reports  of  it,  by  expunging  all  mention  of  it  from  the  public 
records,  by  garbling  histories  and  annals  so  as  to  make  it 


FESTUS  441 

appear  that  Commodus  merely  longed  to  do  and  practiced  or 
played  at  doing  what  he  actually  did. 

These  wiseacres  are  as  far  from  the  truth  as  his  libellerg 
and  slanderers. 

If  anything  in  addition  to  my  solemn  assertion  is  needful 
to  convince  any  reader  of  this  chronicle  that  I  am  right,  let 
me  remind  him  that  all  Rome  knew  or  knew  of  Palus  the 
Gladiator,  afterwards  of  Palus  the  Charioteer,  later  [yet 
again  of  Palus  the  Gladiator;  of  Palus,  the  unsurpassable, 
the  inimitable,  the  incomparable:  incomparable  in  his  ease, 
his  grace,  his  litheness,  his  agility,  his  quickness,  his  amazing 
capacity  for  seeing  the  one  right  thing  to  do,  the  one  thing 
which  no  other  man  could  have  thought  of,  and  for  doing  it 
without  a  sign  of  perturbation,  haste  or  effort,  yet  swift  as 
lightning,  with  the  effectiveness  of  Jove's  thunderbolts  and 
with  the  joyousness  of  a  happy  lad;  always  the  same  Palus 
and  always  in  every  dimension,  attitude  and  movement  the 
picture,  the  image,  the  double  of  Commodus :  whereas  no  one 
ever  heard  or  saw  Palus  the  Beast-Fighter. 

I  think  the  chief  reason  why  Commodus  could  not  resist 
the  temptation  to  degrade  himself  to  the  level  of  a  public 
character  and  a  public  gladiator,  yet,  despite  his  infatuation 
for  beast-killing,  shrank  from  dishonoring  himself  by  ap- 
pearing at  a  public  festival  as  a  beast-fighter,  was  that  beast- 
fighters  are  not  merely  more  despised  than  charioteers  or 
gladiators  but  the  contempt  felt  for  them  has  in  it  quite  a 
different  quality  from  that  felt  for  gladiators  and  charioteers. 
Everybody  sees  criminals  killed  by  beasts  and  there  are  all 
sorts  of  variations  in  the  manner  in  which  criminals  are  ex- 
posed to  death  by  wild  animals.  Some  are  turned  naked  and 
weaponless  into  the  arena  to  be  mangled  by  lions  or  bears 
or  other  huge  beasts:  others  are  left  clad  in  their  tunics; 
some  of  these  are  allowed  the  semblance  of  a  weapon ;  a  club, 
knife,  dagger  or  light  javelin;  so  that  their  appearance  of 
having  some  chance  may  make  their  destruction  more  divert- 
ing to  the  spectators:  others,  in  order  to  prolong  their  agonies, 
are  furnished  with  real  "weapons,  as  a  sword,  a  pike,  a  trident, 
even  a  hunting  spear  with  a  full-sized  triangular  head,  its 


443  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

edges  honed  sharp  as  razors;  others  are  left  completely  clad, 
with  or  without  sham  weapons  or  actual  arms,  yet  others  are 
protected  by  armor,  corselets,  kilts,  greaves,  or  even  hip- 
boots  and  helmets,  and  wear  swords  and  carry  shields  as  well 
as  pikes  or  spears :  these  last  differ  in  appearance  in  no  respect 
from  professional  beast-fighters. 

This  produces,  in  the  minds  of  persons  of  all  classes  a 
sort  of  confusion  between  beast-fighters  and  criminals  and 
brings  it  about  that  there  attaches  to  those  persons  of  noble- 
birth  or  free-birth  who,  whether  from  hope  of  gain,  from 
poverty,  or  from  infatuation  with  the  sport  or  from  mere 
bravado,  abase  themselves  as  beast-fighters,  an  obloquy  far 
intenser  than  that  which  attaches  to  freemen  or  nobles  who 
dishonor  themselves  by  becoming  gladiators  or  charioteers. 
Such  self-abasements  have  been  known  ever  since  the  reign 
of  Nero,  began  to  become  more  common  under  Domitian  and 
have  ceased  to  be  regarded  as  anything  unusual;  in  fact,  so 
many  men  of  good  birth  or  even  of  high  birth  have  become 
gladiators  or  charioteers,  so  many  of  these  have  acquired 
popularity,  so  many,  even  if  actually  few,  have  won  wealth 
and  fame,  that  professional  charioteering  or  swordsmanship 
has  almost  ceased  to  be  regarded  as  a  degradation.  Not  so 
beast-fighting.  No  one  can  point  to  a  record  of  any  free- 
man or  noble  having  appeared  in  the  arena  as  a  beast-fighter 
and  afterwards  having  regained  by  any  acquisition  whether  of 
reputation  or  fortune  the  position  in  society  which  he  had 
forfeited  by  his  dishonor. 

At  any  rate,  Commodus  gratified  his  enthusiasm  'for 
beast-killing  in  two  entirely  different  ways.  One  was  by 
regaling  the  people  with  spectacles  of  unheard-of,  even  of 
incredible  magnificence,  at  which  not  only  the  noon-hour  was 
filled  with  ingenious  and  novel  feats  of  trick-riding,  tight- 
rope-walking, jugglery,  acrobatics  and  the  like,  and  one  of 
the  surprises  invented  by  Mercablis  and  the  afternoons  en- 
nobled by  hosts  of  gladiators,  paired  or  fighting  by  fours, 
sixes  or  tens,  twenties  or  in  battalions,  as  if  soldiers  in  actual 
battles ;  but  the  mornings  were  exciting  with  the  slaughter  of 
hordes  of  animals  of  all  kinds ;  with  fights  of  ferocious  beasts, 


FESTUS  443 

and  with  the  fighting  and  killing  of  fierce  animals  by  the 
most  expert  and  venturesome  beast-fighters.  At  these  spec- 
tacles Commodus  participated  as  a  spectator,  in  the  Imperial 
Pavilion,  surrounded  by  his  officials  and  the  great  officers  of 
his  household,  clad  in  his  princely  robes,  seated  on  his  gold- 
mounted  ivory  throne. 

His  other  method  of  gratifying  his  infatuation  was  by 
himself  killing  all  sorts  of  beasts,  either  from  the  coping 
of  the  arena,  or  from  platforms  constructed  out  on  the 
arena  or  from  the  level  of  the  sand  itself,  for  which  feats  he 
had  as  spectators  the  whole  Senate  and  the  entire  body  of 
our  nobility,  summoned  by  special  invitation  and  most  of 
them  by  no  means  reluctant  to  enjoy  the  spectacle  of  the 
superlative  prowess  possessed  by  their  Prince. 

When  any  of  the  Vestals  were  present  at  these  eccentric 
exhibitions  they  occupied  their  front-row  box  and  Marcia 
usually  sat  with  them,  generally  accompanied  by  as  many  of 
her  intimates  among  the  wives  of  senators  as  the  box  would 
accommodate.  The  Vestals,  as  the  only  human  beings  in 
Rome  who  did  not  fear  Commodus,  were  often  entirely  in- 
dependent in  their  behavior  and  refused  his  invitations;  but 
they  did  it  politely,  alleging  that  the  regulations  of  their  cult 
forbade  any  Vestal  absenting  herself  from  the  Temple  and 
Atrium  on  that  particular  day.  When  no  Vestal  was  present 
Marcia  occupied  their  box,  by  their  invitation,  and  filled  it 
with  her  noblest  and  wealthiest  favorites  among  the  senatorial 
matrons,  often  wives  of  ex-consuls. 

On  these  occasions  Commodus  wore  fulldress  boots  of  a 
shape  precisely  as  with  his  official  robes  but  not  of  the  usual 
color:  they  had  indeed  the  Imperial  eagles  embroidered  on 
them  in  gold  thread,  but,  instead  of  being  of  sky-blue  dull- 
finished  leather,  they  were  of  a  shiny,  glaze-surfaced  leather 
as  white  as  milk,  their  soles  gilded  along  the  edges.  Gold 
embroidery  set  off  his  tunic,  which  was  of  the  purest  white 
silk,  shimmering  brilliantly.  He  always  wore  many  gold 
rings,  set  with  rubies  and  emeralds;  also  an  elaborate  neck- 
lace matching  his  rings.  His  bright,  soft,  curly,  yellow  hair 
^  haloed  his  face  as  did  his  almost  as  bright  and  fully  as  yellow 


444  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

and  curly  beard.  His  eyes  were  very  bright  blue,  his  cheek* 
very  red.  He  was  very  handsome.  The  expression  of  vacuous 
miscomprehension  like  that  on  the  face  of  a  country  bumpkin, 
which  was  so  usual  with  Commodus  when  dealing  with  of- 
ficial business  or  social  duties,  never  appeared  on  his  counte- 
nance when  revelling  in  his  favorite  sport :  then  his  expression 
was  intelligent,  lively  and  even  charming. 

He  was  at  this  time  in  his  twenty-sixth  year  and  in  the 
very  prime  of  his  life.  Before  his  death,  instead  of  the  rosi- 
ness  of  health  on  his  face  and  the  glow  of  youth  on  his 
cheeks,  his  entire  countenance  was  unbecomingly  flushed  and 
florid,  like  that  of  a  drunkard. 

His  weapons  were  as  exquisitely  designed  and  finished  as 
his  costume.  When  he  used  a  club  it  was  of  the  wood  of 
some  Egyptian  palm  or  of  cornel- wood,  heavily  gilded;  a 
heap  of  such  clubs  was  always  in  readiness  when  he  entered 
the  arena.  Similarly  there  was  ready  for  him  an  arsenal 
of  swords,  of  every  style,  shape  and  size,  from  short  Oscan 
swords  not  much  longer  than  daggers  to  Gallic  swords  with 
blades  a  full  yard  long  and  thin  as  kitchen  spits.  All  were 
gold-hilted,  sheathed  in  colored,  tooled,  embroidered,  gilded 
or  even  bejewelled  leather;  many  had  their  blades  gilded 
except  the  edges  and  points.  There  was  piled  up  ready  for 
his  choice  a  mountain  of  spears,  of  patterns  as  various  as 
the  swords.  All  had  their  shafts  whitened  with  some  novel 
sort  of  paint  which  produced  a  gleaming  effect  like  the  sheen 
of  the  white  portions  of  the  finer  sorts  of  decorated  Greek 
vases.  This  glaze  effect  was  over  all  of  each  shaft  except  at 
the  grip,  where  the  natural  wood  always  appeared,  roughened 
like  the  surface  of  a  file  with  criss-cross  lines  to  afford  him  a 
surer  grasp.  His  bows  were  all  gilded,  his  quivers  gilded  or 
of  gem-studded,  brightly  tinted  leather,  in  many  colored  pat- 
terns ;  his  arrows  gilded  all  over,  points,  shafts  and  feathers ; 
or  with  feathers  dyed  red,  blue,  green  or  violet.  Every  detail 
of  his  get-up  and  equipment  was  to  the  last  degree  perfect, 
reliable,  beautiful,  unusual  and  costly. 

I  pondered  a  great  deal  over  his  infatuation  and  its  conse- 
quences. 


FESTUS  445 

In  the  first  place,  as  when  contemplating  the  torrent  of 
beast-wagons  flowing  down  the  Flaminian  Highroad,  I  was, 
being  still  inwardly  a  Eoman  noble,  overwhelmed  with  shame 
that  the  enormous,  but  even  so  insufficient,  revenues  of  the 
Republic  should  be  diverted  from  their  proper  uses  for  the 
maintenance  of  our  prosperity  and  the  defence  of  the  frontiers 
of  the  Empire  and  squandered  on  the  silly  amusements  of  a 
great,  hulking,  empty-headed  lad. 

Then  I  was  almost  equally  ashamed  that  a  man  who  could, 
on  occasion,  if  sufficiently  roused,  be,  for  a  space,  as  com- 
pletely Prince  and  Emperor  as  Commodus  had  repeatedly 
shown  himself  in  my  sight,  could,  on  the  other  hand,  waste 
his  time  and  energies  on  displaying  his  dexterity  in  feats  of 
archery,  javelin-throwing,  swordsmanship,  agility  and  mere 
strength.  It  appeared  to  me  not  only  shameful  but  incredible 
that  a  man  who  was  capable  of  such  complete  adequacy  in  his 
proper  station  in  life  as  Commodus  had  shown  himself  to  be, 
for  instance,  when  berating  Satronius  and  Vedius  or,  still 
more,  when  facing  the  mutineers  and  dooming  Perennis, 
should  be  willing  to  leave  the  management  of  the  Republic 
and  the  ruling  of  the  Empire  to  an  ex-slave  and  ex-street 
porter  like  Oleander,  and  occupy  his  time  with  spearing 
bears,  shooting  with  arrows  lions,  tigers,  or  elephants  and 
what  not,  burying  his  sword-blade  in  bulls,  even  with  clubbing 
ostriches. 

I  oscillated  or  vacillated  between  these  two  lines  of  thought. 
The  sight  of  Commodus  dodging  the  lightning  rush  of  an 
infuriated  ostrich  and  neatly  despatching  him  with  a  single 
blow  on  the  head  from  a  palm-wood  club  no  longer  and  no 
thicker  than  his  own  forearm  not  only  stirred  my  wonder 
that  any  man  could  possess  such  accuracy  of  eyesight,  such 
power  of  judging  distances  and  time,  such  perfect  coordina- 
tion of  his  faculties  of  observation,  of  his  will  and  of  hia 
muscles;  but  also  roused  my  disgust  that  a  man  capable  of 
ruling  the  world  and  with  the  opportunity  to  show  his  capa- 
bilities should  degrade  himself  to  wasting  time  on  tricks  of 
agility  and  feats  of  strength  and  skill. 

On  the  other  hand  the  sight  of  Commodus  using  a  full- 


446  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

grown  male  Indian  elephant  as  a  target  for  his  arrows  en- 
raged me.  Next  to  a  man  an  Indian  elephant  is  the  most 
intelligent  creature  existing  on  this  earth  of  ours,  as  far 
as  we  know.  An  elephant  lives  far  longer  than  a  man.  His 
life  of  useful  labor  is  longer  than  the  total  life  of  a  long-lived 
man.  And  his  labor  can  be  very  useful  to  mankind.  An 
elephant  can  travel,  day  after  day,  as  fast  and  far  as  a  horse, 
he  can  accomplish  easily  tasks  to  which  no  team  of  horses, 
not  even  of  sixteen  horses,  is  adequate,  he  can  outdo  any 
gang  of  men  at  loading  or  unloading  a  ship  with  massive 
timbers  or  with  many  other  kinds  of  cargo  in  heavy  and 
bulky  units.  It  can  only  be  a  shame  to  kill,  for  mere  sport, 
so  noble  a  creature.  It  is  bad  enough  to  exhibit  in  the  arena 
fights  of  elephants,  which  kill  each  other  for  our  diversion, 
when  we  might  utilize  their  courage  and  prowess  in  battle, 
as  the  Indians  do.  But  to  use  an  elephant  as  a  mere  target 
for  arrows  is  far  worse. 

Then  again,  while  I  watched  Commodus  killing  an  ele- 
phant with  his  arrows  I  could  not  but  think  of  the  hundreds 
of  men  who  had  been  employed  in  tracking  his  herd,  building 
a  stockade,  driving  into  it  what  elephants  they  could,  fetter- 
ing them,  taming  them,  caring  for  this  one  after  he  had  been 
tamed,  tending  him  on  his  journey  of  many  thousand  miles 
from  India,  across  Gadrosia,  Carmania,  Susiana,  Mesopotamia 
and  Syria  to  Antioch  and  from  there  to  Rome;  on  getting 
food  for  him  on  his  journey  and  at  different  cities;  on  the 
vast  expense  of  all  this;  and  for  what?  That  a  silly  and 
vainglorious  overgrown  child  should  shoot  him  full  of  arrows 
till  he  bled  to  death ! 

I  raged  inwardly. 

I  quite  agree  that  Commodus  enjoyed  killing  for  killing's 
sake;  it  gave  him  a  sort  of  sense  of  triumph  to  behold  any 
animal  succumb  to  his  weapons.  But  I  think  his  sense  of 
triumph  was  also  far  more  for  his  repeated  self-congratula- 
tion on  his  accuracy  of  aim  for  shot  or  blow,  on  the  per- 
fection of  his  really  amazing  dexterity. 

When  he  shot  at  elephants  the  procedure  was  always  the 
same;  two  elephants  were  turned  into  the  arena,  and  Com- 


FESTUS  447 

modus  was  matched  against  some  archer  of  superlative  repu- 
tation, whose  prowess  had  been  repeatedly  demonstrated  be- 
fore the  audiences  of  the  Colosseum,  a  Parthian,  Scythian,  or 
Mauretanian.  A  prize  was  offered  to  him  if  he  won  and 
wagers  were  laid,  mostly  of  ten  to  one  or  more  on  Commodus ; 
he,  of  course,  betting  on  himself  with  at  least  one  senator 
at  any  odds  his  taker  chose.  Then  the  contest  began,  Com- 
modus shooting  from  the  Imperial  Pavilion,  his  competitor 
from  any  part  of  the  podium  which  he  might  choose,  so  that 
both  archers  were  on  an  equality,  being  placed  on  the  coping 
of  the  arena  at  spots  they  had  chosen.  The  prize  went  to 
whichever  killed  his  elephant  with  the  fewest  arrows.  Com- 
modus always  won.  Not  that  his  competitors  did  not  do 
their  best.  They  did.  But  he  was,  in  fact,  the  best  archer 
alive.  His  accuracy  of  aim  was  uncanny  and  his  strength 
really  terrific.  He  could  himself  string  a  hundred  and  sixty 
pound  bow  and  he  shot  a  bow  even  stiffer  than  that  with- 
out apparent  effort  and  with  fascinating  and  indescribable 
grace.  He  never  missed,  not  only  not  the  animal,  but  not 
even  the  vital  part  aimed  at.  I  was  told  that,  when  he  first 
practiced  on  an  elephant,  he  killed  it  with  arrows  in  the 
liver,  of  which  eleven  were  required  to  finish  the  beast. 
He  then  had  it  cut  open  under  Galen's  supervision,  he  watch- 
ing. He  thereafter  never  failed  to  reach  an  elephant's  heart 
with  his  third  arrow,  killed  most  with  his  second,  and  not 
a  few  with  his  first,  a  feat  never  equaled  or  approached 
by  any  other  archer,  for  the  killing  of  an  elephant  with  five 
arrows  by  Tilla  the  Goth  remains  the  best  record  ever  made 
in  the  Colosseum  by  any  other  bowman.  The  impact  of  his 
arrows  was  so  weighty  that  I  have  beheld  one  go  entirely 
through  the  paunch  of  a  full-grown  male  elephant  and  pro- 
trude a  foot  on  the  other  side. 

With  rhinoceroses  and  hippopotami  the  procedure  was 
similar.  Neither  of  these  animals  could  be  had  as  plenti- 
fully as  elephants,  of  which  I  saw  Commodus  and  his  com- 
petitors kill  more  than  thirty ;  mostly  Mauretanian  elephants, 
but  some  Indian  and  a  few  Nubian.  I  saw  killed  for  his 
amusements  in  similar  contests  in  which  he  participated 


448  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

four  rhinoceroses  and  six  hippopotami.  In  these  matches 
he  killed  one  rhinoceros  with  two  arrows  and  the  rest  with 
one;  so  of  the  hippopotami.  As  with  the  elephants,  after 
he  had  seen  a  rhinoceros  and  a  hippopotamus  cut  open  under 
Galen's  direction,  he  retained  so  vivid  an  impression  of  the 
location  of  its  heart  that,  from  any  direction,  whether  the 
beast  was  moving  or  still,  he  sent  his  arrow  so  as  to  reach  the 
heart.  This  sounds  incredible,  but  it  is  exactly  the  truth. 

As  I  watched  I  kept  imagining  the  baking  deserts  of 
Libya  or  the  steaming  swamps  of  Nubia,  the  shouting  hordes 
of  negroes,  the  many  killed  by  the  beast,  its  capture,  and  the 
infinite  and  expensive  care  necessary  to  bring  one  alive  to 
Eome. 

Besides  these  enormous  animals  he  practiced  archery  on 
the  huge  long-horned  bulls  from  the  forests  of  Dacia  and 
Germany;  on  the  bisons  from  the  same  regions,  beasts  with 
heavy  shoulders,  low  rumps  and  small  horns,  parallel  to  each 
other,  curving  downwards  over  the  brows;  on  the  big  stags 
from  these  far-off  forests,  or  any  sort  of  stags !  And  on  two 
varieties  of  African  antelope  not  much  inferior  in  size  to 
stags  or  bulls.  He  very  seldom  needed  a  third  arrow  to 
put  an  end  to  any  beast  of  these  kinds,  not  often  a  second 
arrow,  and,  actually,  killed  hundreds,  even  thousands,  neatly 
and  infallibly  with  his  first  shot.  All  these  animals  he  shot 
from  the  podium,  often  leaning  on  the  coping,  his  right 
knee  on  it,  generally  standing,  his  feet  wide  apart,  the  toes 
of  his  right  foot  against  the  coping  wall ;  for,  as  with  sword 
or  spear  or  club,  he  also  shot  left-handed. 

From  the  arena  itself,  standing  on  the  sand  on  which  they 
scampered  about,  he  shot  multitudes  of  smaller  animals: 
wild  ponies,  wild  asses,  striped  African  zebras,  gazelles,  and 
at  least  a  dozen  varieties  of  small  African  antelopes,  for 
which  there  are  no  special  names  in  Latin  or  even  in  Greek. 
The  antelopes  and  gazelles,  although  they  ran  quicker  than 
hares,  he  never  missed  and  seldom  did  he  fail  to  kill  with 
one  arrow  whatever  animal  he  aimed  at.  He  never,  to  my 
knowledge,  missed  even  the  incredibly  speedy  wild  asses. 

Nor  did  he  ever  miss  an  ostrich,  though  he  shot  both  from 


RECOGNITION  449 

the  podium  and  the  sand  these  birds,  which  are  swifter  than 
even  the  wild  asses.  He  shot  at  them  with  arrows  made 
specially  after  a  pattern  of  his  own,  with  crescent-shaped 
heads  set  on  the  shaft  with  the  two  horns  of  the  crescent 
pointing  forward,  the  inner  curve  sharpened  to  a  razor  edge. 
Shooting  at  an  ostrich  racing  at  top  speed  he  never  failed 
to  decapitate  it  with  one  shot,  invariably  severing  its  neck 
about  a  hands-breadth  below  its  head. 

He  also  killed  with  javelins  or  arrows  wolves,  hyenas, 
bears,  lynxes,  leopards,  panthers,  tigers  and  lions.  But  when 
killing  such  dangerous  and  ferocious  animals  he  took  his 
stand  on  a  platform,  the  floor  of  which  was  about  three  yards 
square  and  elevated  about  that  distance  above  the  sand,  con- 
structed well  out  in  the  arena  so  that  he  could  shoot  down 
in  any  direction  on  beasts  rushing  towards  or  past  the  plat- 
form or  driven  past  it  or  towards  it.  He  slaughtered  in- 
credible multitudes  of  these  creatures  and  certainly  dis- 
played amazing  strength  and  skill,  habitually  killing  a  lion 
with  one  javelin,  almost  as  often  with  one  arrow,  and  the 
like  for  tigers;  and  oftener  for  panthers  and  leopards.  He 
never  needed  a  second  arrow  to  finish  a  wolf  or  hyena  or  even 
a  lynx.  The  marvellous  accuracy  of  his  aim,  the  way  he 
planted  his  arrow  unerringly  in  the  heart  of  a  galloping 
wolf  scudding  across  the  sand  far  from  him;  the  way  he 
drove  a  broad-bladed  hunting-spear  clear  through  a  huge 
shaggy  bear,  never  failed  to  rouse  my  wonder,  even  my  ad- 
miration.* 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

RECOGNITION 

I   DO  not  recall  any  special  feat  of  the  Imperial  beast- 
killer  during  the  summer  and  autumn  of  the  year  in 
whie£   v.  iad  fooled  Bulla  and  been  transferred  from  the 
stud-farm  to  the  Choragium,  which  was  the  year  in  which 
Crispinus  and  Aelian  were  consuls,  the  nine  hundred  and 

*See  Note  J. 


450  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

fortieth  year  of  the  City,*  and  the  eighth  of  the  Principate 
of  Commodus.  But,  when  the  season  for  spectacles  in  the 
arena  opened  with  the  first  warm,  fair  weather  of  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  he  returned  to  his  favorite  sport  with  re- 
doubled zest,  amounting  to  a  craze. 

It  was  during  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  this  year 
that  he  began  to  make  huge  wagers  with  wealthy  senators, 
betting  that  he  could  kill  a  specified  number  of  a  specified 
variety  of  animal  with  a  specified  number  of  spears  or  ar- 
rows; always  proposing  so  to  limit  himself  as  to  number 
of  weapons  that  the  exploit  appeared  impossible.  The  re- 
sult was  that  avaricious  Midases  were  eager  to  wager,  as 
they  felt  certain  of  winning.  Yet  he  never  lost,  not  once. 

And,  after  each  wager  made,  or  won,  he  made  the  next 
on  a  narrower  margin  at  smaller  odds,  until  he  struck  the 
whole  nobility  numb  by  offering  to  wager  even  money  that 
he  could  kill  one  hundred  full-grown  male  bears  from  his 
usual  platform  with  one  hundred  hunting  spears,  covenanting 
that  he  was  to  lose  if  he  needed  one  hundred  and  one  spear- 
casts  to  lay  out  those  hundred  bears  limp,  flabby  and  utterly 
dead.  This  appeared  so  utterly  an  impossibility  that  Aufid- 
ius  Fronto  offered  to  put  up  two  million  sesterces  against 
him.  The  pompous  sham  philosopher,  who  feigned  the  pro- 
foundest  contempt  for  riches,  could  not  resist  what  looked 
like  enormous  gains.  He  made  the  wager,  and  Commodus 
won. 

Now  I  cannot  insist  too  positively  on  the  amazing,  the 
incredible  strength  and  skill  and  nerve  required  for  this 
fatiguing  and  taxing  feat.  Any  other  man  I  ever  knew  or 
heard  of  would  have  shown  evidences  of  weariness  long  be- 
fore he  had  despatched  his  hundredth  bear;  would  certainly 
have  betrayed  the  terrific  strain  on  his  nerves.  Commodus 
was,  apparently,  as  fresh,  as  jaunty,  as  full  of  reserve 
strength,  as  far  from  being  unsure  of  himself  when  he  fin- 
ished the  hundredth  bear  as  when  he  drove  his  first  spe,ar  into 
the  first. 

*  187  A.D, 


RECOGNITION  451 

Now  it  requires  altogether  exceptional  strength  so  to  cast 
even  the  best  design  of  hunting-spear,  as  keen  as  possible, 
as  to  drive  it  through  the  matted  pelt,  thick  hide  and  big 
bones  of  a  bear;  in  so  driving  it,  to  aim  it  so  that  it  will 
pierce  his  heart  calls  for  superhuman  skill.  And  to  reiterate 
this  feat  ninety-nine  times  in  succession  argues  a  perfection 
of  eye,  hand  and  nerve  never  possessed  by  any  man  save 
Commodus.  Any  other  man  would  have  felt  the  strain, 
most  men  would  have  become  so  anxious  towards  the  end  as 
to  become  agitated.  He  kept  calm  and  cool. 

I  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  discomfiture  of  Aufidius  Fronto 
and  relished  his  futile  efforts  to  appear  indifferent  to  his 
money  loss. 

Not  many  days  later  Commodus  made  a  similar  and  still 
more  hazardous  wager  with  Didius  Julianus,  the  most  opu- 
lent and  ostentatious  of  the  senators,  who  was  afterwards 
nominally  Emperor  for  two  months  and  five  days.  This 
wager  covenanted  that  Commodus,  from  his  platform  in  the 
arena,  would  despatch  one  hundred  full-grown  male  lions, 
in  their  prime  and  vigorous,  with  one  hundred  javelins. 
On  this  arduous  frivolity  they  wagered  ten  million  sesterces 
and  had  the  actual  gold,  fifty  thousand  big,  broad,  gold 
pieces,  carried  into  the  arena  and  piled  up  in  a  gleaming 
mound  on  a  monster  crimson  rug  for  all  to  behold.  This 
bit  of  ostentation  was  like  Didius  Julianus  and  not  unnatural 
for  Commodus. 

I  have  never  seen  any  man  perform  so  easily  so  difficult 
a  feat.  Killing  a  lion  with  three  javelins  requires  very 
unusual  strength  and  skill.  To  kill  ten  lions  with  forty 
casts  would  tax  the  muscles,  dexterity  and  nerves  of  the  best 
spearman  the  world  ever  knew.  To  kill  a  hundred  lions 
with  barely  one  javelin  apiece  was  bravado  to  propose  and 
miraculous  to  accomplish.  Accomplish  it  he  did  and  with- 
out any  visible  effort  or  strain.  Eighty-nine  of  the  hundred 
he  shot  through  the  heart ;  the  remaining  eleven  with  difficult 
fancy  shots  which  he  was,  against  all  reason,  tempted  tx> 


452  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

essay,  and  which,  against  all  probability,  uniformly  were 
fully  successful. 

Didius  Julianus  paid  his  wager  without  any  show  of 
chagrin,  as  he  could  well  afford  to  do. 

At  once  Commodus  offered  to  bet  that  he  could  kill  a  hun- 
dred similar  lions  with  a  bare  hundred  arrows.  Didius  at 
once  wagered  the  same  sum  he  had  just  lost  and  the  bet 
was  made.  The  exhibition  was  delayed  more  than  a  month 
until  it  had  been  possible  to  accumulate  at  Eome  a  full 
hundred  full-grown  male  lions.  Then  Commodus  again 
shot  in  sight  of  a  pile  of  gold  pieces  on  an  expanse  of  crim- 
son velvet  spread  on  the  sand  of  the  arena. 

Commodus  won  as  before,  with  exactly  the  same  number 
of  heart  shots  and  fancy  shots.  If  one  miracle  can  be 
greater  than  another  this  feat  surpassed  its  predecessor. 
For  a  lion  takes  a  great  deal  of  killing  before  he  dies,  and 
each  of  these  hundred  lions  died  as  quickly  as  any  lion  ever 
does.  Instant  killing  of  a  lion  with  a  javelin  is  a  miracle, 
even  more  miraculous  is  instant  killing  of  a  lion  with  one 
arrow.  Commodus  so  killed  the  full  hundred. 

I  know  of  no  more  astounding  demonstration  of  his  in- 
fallible and  tremendous  muscle  power  than  the  fact  that, 
shooting  at  a  lion  fully  twenty  yards  away,  and  in  the  act 
of  rearing  rampantly  at  the  beginning  of  a  bound,  he  sent 
his  arrow  into  the  roof  of  its  mouth,  through  the  brain, 
the  entire  length  of  the  spinal  cord  and  so  far  that  its  point 
protruded  from  the  dead  beast's  rump  above  the  root  of  its 
tail.  Galen,  who,  as  often,  was  in  the  amphitheater  in  case 
of  injury  to  the  Prince,  and  who  was  in  the  habit  of  dis- 
secting such  dead  beasts  ag  interested  him,  cut  along  the 
path  followed  by  the  missile,  cleaving  the  dead  lion  in  two 
lengthwise  and  laying  the  two  halves  hide  downward  on  the 
sand,  so  as  to  demonstrate  to  a  bevy  of  curious  and  awed 
spectators  the  incredible  path  of  that  arrow. 

Commodus  lived  on  miracles.  Of  all  the  thousands  of 
darts,  javelins  and  spears  which  I  saw  him  throw,  of  all 
the  countless  arrows  I  saw  him  shoot,  not  one  ever  missed 
its  mark,  not  one  merely  hit  the  beast  aimed  at,  everyone, 


RECOGNITION  453 

even  if  launched  at  an  ostrich  skimming  the  sand  or  a 
gazelle,  struck  deep  and  true  precisely  where  he  had  aimed  it. 

As  I  am  about  to  narrate  the  occurrence  which  put  an  end 
to  the  insensate  indulgence  in  beast-killing  in  which  Corn- 
modus  had  revelled,  I  am  reminded  that,  besides  his  vilifiers, 
who  assert  that  he  publicly  exhibited  himself  as  an  ordinary 
beast-fighter,  and  his  apologists,  who  maintain  that  he  not 
only  did  not  do  so,  but  never  so  much  as  drove  a  chariot 
in  public  or  spilt  human  blood  with  an  edged  weapon,  there 
are  others  who,  while  not  retailing  or  inventing  any  fictions 
or  attempting  to  blink  or  suppress  any  facts,  yet  inveigh 
against  Commodus  as  absurdly  assuming  the  attributes  of 
Hercules  while  really  a  weakling  and  as  pretending  to  pow- 
ers which  he  never  possessed,  as  having  been  largely  or 
wholly  a  counterfeit  spearman,  a  make-believe  archer,  a 
6ham  swordsman  and  a  mock  athlete. 

Among  other  alleged  proofs  of  these  baseless  contentions 
they  cite  the  ecstatic  joy  with  which,  to  the  limit  of  the 
supply  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  African  deserts,  he 
day  after  day,  on  the  sands  of  the  arena,  delightedly 
clubbed  ostriches,  alleging  that  killing  an  ostrich  with  a 
sword  or  club  is  child's  play  and  no  feat  of  skill.  As  to  this 
particular  citation  of  vaunted  evidence,  as  in  their  conten- 
tions  at  large,  they  are  egregiously  mistaken  and  far  from 
the  facts  and  the  truth. 

Actually,  for  a  lone  man,  on  level  ground,  far  from  any 
shelter,  an  angry  full-grown  young  male  ostrich  is  a  formi- 
dable assailant  and  a  dangerous  antagonist.  No  living  crea- 
ture that  roves  the  surface  of  our  earth  moves  faster  than 
a  healthy  ostrich.  When  running  it  skims  the  arena,  when 
attacking  it  darts.  It  kicks  forward,  raising  its  long  and 
powerful  leg  high  in  the  air  and  bringing  it  down  with  a 
blow  so  swift  that  the  eye  cannot  follow  it  and  so  forcible 
that  I  have  seen  one  such  stroke  smash  all  together  the  col- 
lar-bone, shoulder-blade,  upper  arm-bone  and  half  the  ribs 
on  that  side  of  its  unfortunate  victim,  a  big,  agile,  vigorous 
Nubian,  habituated  to  ostriches  in  their  haunts.  And,  if 
the  leg  misses  its  mark,  as  it  very  seldom  does,  the  bird,  as  it 


454  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

hurls  past  its  enemy,  pecks  viciously  at  his  face,  its  sturdy 
beak  being  capable  of  inflicting  a  serious  wound  wherever  it 
strikes,  and  often  destroying  an  eye,  its  usual  target. 

To  stand  alone,  far  out  in  the  arena,  bare-headed,  clad  only 
in  a  diaphanous  silken  tunic,  armed  only  with  a  club  no 
longer  or  thicker  than  his  forearm;  so  habited  and  armed 
to  await  the  assault  of  an  infuriated  bird  so  bulky,  so  swift, 
so  agile  and  so  powerful;  to  dodge  jauntily,  but  infallibly, 
both  the  stroke  of  the  leg  and  the  stab  of  the  beak,  and 
invariably  to  bring  his  club  down  on  the  darting  head  and 
finish  the  bird  neatly  with  that  one  blow;  this  was  equally 
a  feat  of  self-confidence,  of  dexterity,  of  agility  and  of 
strength.  I  hold  no  man  justified  in  condemning  Commodus 
because  he  gloried  in  clubbing  ostriches. 

The  incident  I  recall  occurred  when  spring  had  already 
waned  and  was  merging  into  summer.  The  lower  tiers  of 
the  Colosseum  were  well  filled  with  senators,  nobles  and 
other  persons  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  invited.  None 
of  the  Vestals  were  present  and  their  box  was  occupied  by 
Marcia  and  her  intimates.  There  were  enough  spectators 
seated  to  give  the  amphitheater  an  appearance  of  gaiety 
and  vivacity  almost  as  great  as  if  it  had  been  filled  by  all 
classes  of  the  populace.  The  weather  was  clear,  warm  and 
sunny,  with  a  light,  soft  breeze. 

Commodus  had  exhibited  his  dexterity  as  an  archer  by 
shooting  a  great  number  and  great  variety  of  small  ante- 
lopes, each  one  of  which  he  had  killed  with  a  single  arrow. 
Next  he  began  clubbing  ostriches  and  disposed  of  a  dozen 
or  more.  Altogether  there  were  about  fifty.  It  was  charac- 
teristic of  Commodus  that  he  was  impatient  of  any  delay 
between  different  exhibitions  when  he  was  thus  displaying 
his  prowess.  After  the  ostriches  he  intended  to  mount  his 
platform  and  shoot  fifty  or  sixty  lions.  In  order  to  have 
them  handy  to  begin  on  as  soon  as  the  last  ostrich  was 
despatched  he  had  commanded  that  those  which  were  to  be 
let  out  of  posterns  should  be  disposed  behind  the  doors  and 
that  some  of  the  cages  of  those  which  were  to  be  liberated 
from  cages  should  be  hoisted  from  the  crypt  and  set  ready 


RECOGNITION  455 

in  the  arena.  A  full  dozen  of  such  cages  had  been  set  out. 
I  was  not  with  the  gang  hoisting  these  cages  and  marshalling 
other  lions  behind  posterns,  but  was  at  the  opposite  end  of 
the  arena  with  a  smaller  gang  which  was  engaged  in  getting 
ready  a  score  or  more  of  tigers  which  were  to  be  let  out  after 
the  lions  and  which  were  giving  a  great  deal  of  trouble. 

Commodus  was  facing  my  end  of  the  arena  and  so  had  his 
back  to  the  lions  in  their  cages,  which  were  about  thirty 
yards  from  him.  The  liberated  ostriches  did  not  seem  to 
pay  any  attention  to  the  caged  lions  and  each,  as  he  was 
driven  back  towards  Commodus  by  men  with  long  hay- 
forks, with  which  they  caught  the  birds'  necks  and  held  them 
off,  turned  furiously  on  Commodus  and  charged  him 
viciously.  Each  bird  Commodus  dodged  with  one  slight 
instantaneous  and  effortless  movement;  each  bird  fell  dead 
at  once,  neatly  clubbed  on  the  head. 

As  he  clubbed  the  last  ostrich  1^  saw  a  lion  step  dazedly 
and  tentatively  out-  of  one  of  the  cages.  Of  course,  it  was 
not  intended  that  any  of  the  lions  should  be  liberated  until 
the  Emperor  had  mounted  his  platform,  approved  the  bow 
selected  for  him  or  chosen  one  for  himself,  and  similarly 
inspected  and  approved  as  many  arrows  as  he  expected  to 
need.  It  was  hardly  possible  that  any  cage-door  came  open 
by  accident.  I  conjectured  a  plot  similar  to  that  which  I 
had  seen  fail  when  the  piebald  horse  threw  himself  and  his 
fall  and  the  wreck  of  the  chariot  he  helped  to  draw  failed 
to  cause  the  death  of  Palus  the  Charioteer. 

The  lion,  once  he  was  wholly  out  of  his  cage,  sneaked 
forward  his  length  or  more,  crouched,  and  bounded  towards 
Commodus.  A  shout  of  dismay,  horror  and  warning  went 
up  from  the  audience.  Marcia  shrieked  and  leapt  to  her 
feet.  Most  of  the  spectators  also  stood  up,  the  audience 
rising  in  a  sort  of  wave  as  it  emitted  its  yell  of  consterna- 
tion. 

Commodus  whirled  round,  saw  the  lion,  stood  and  eyed 
him  precisely  as  if  he  had  been  a  charging  ostrich ;  appeared 
to  measure  the  diminishing  distance,  showed  no  sign  of  per- 
turbation, crouched  slightly,  dodged  as  the  lion  sprang  at 


§56  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

him;  dodged  so  slightly  that  I  was  sure  the  lion  had  him, 
but  so  effectively  that  no  claw  touched  him;  straightened 
up  as  the  lion,  wholly  in  the  air,  shot  past  him;  swung  his 
short  club  and  brought  it  down  on  the  lion's  neck;  and 
stood  there,  triumphant,  by  a  lion  stretched  out  motionless 
on  the  sand,  totally  limp  and  unmistakably  dead. 

Marcia  fainted. 

So  did  half  her  guests. 

So  did  some  of  the  older  senators. 

Commodus,  not  so  much  as  noticing  the  perturbation  of 
his  guests,  not  even  Marcia,  called  out  to  the  overseer  in 
charge  of  the  cages: 

"Not  a  man  of  you  dare  move.     Stand  where  you  are." 

The  guards,  a  batch  of  whom  were  stationed  at  each 
postern  by  which  the  attendants  entered  and  left  the  arena, 
ran  towards  the  Emperor.  He  ordered  them  to  summon 
all  their  fellows  from  all  through  the  Colosseum  and  when 
their  chief  officer  approached  him  gave  orders  that  they  form 
a  cordon  behind  the  cages  and  see  to  it  that  no  man  of 
those  who  had  been  getting  out  the  cages  should  escape. 

While  this  was  being  done  the  spectators  had  reseated 
themselves,  the  inanimate  had  been  revived  and  even  Marcia 
had  recovered  consciousness  and  composure  and,  with  her 
guests  was  as  before  their  fright. 

When  all  were  in  order  Commodus  ordered: 

"Let  out  another  lion!" 

The  overseer  in  charge  of  the  cages  and  the  officer  of  the 
guards  demurred. 

"Do  as  I  tell  you !"  Commodus  browbeat  the  overseer.  To 
the  officer  he  said: 

"If  I,  with  only  a  tunic  and  club,  am  not  afraid  of  a 
lion  charging  me,  you  and  your  men,  in  armor  and  with 
shields  and  swords  ought  not  to  be  afraid." 

"We  are  not,"  the  officer  declared,  "we  are  concerned  for 
you,  not  for  ourselves." 

"Pooh !"  said  Commodus.  "If  I  could  kill  the  first  hand- 
ily when  I  was  not  expecting  him,  I  can  kill  all  the  rest  the 
pame  way  when  I  know  what  is  coming.  A  lion,  by  that 


RECOGNITION  457 

sample,  is  as  easy  to  dodge  and  club  dead  as  an  ostrich  or 
easier.  Send  me  another." 

Another  was  let  out  amid  the  dead  silence  of  the  dazed 
and  astounded  spectators.  Commodus  killed  the  second  as 
handily  as  the  first. 

Now  I  must  say  that  no  exploit  recorded  of  any  human 
being  or  traditional  of  any  legendary  hero,  outclasses  as  a 
feat  of  strength,  coolness,  courage  and  perfect  coordination 
of  all  the  mental  and  physical  faculties,  this  act  of  Corn- 
modus^  in  killing  two  successive  lions  with  a  palm-wood  club. 
A  charging  lion  is  an  object  so  terrifying  as  to  chill  the 
blood  of  a  distant  onlooker.  Very  unusually  good  nerves 
and  very  exceptional  self-confidence  are  required  to  face  with 
composure  a  portent  which  appears  so  irresistible.  And 
when  the  lion  emits  his  tremendous  roar  and  rises,  bodily, 
into  the  air  in  his  mortal  spring,  mouth  wide  open,  its 
crimson  cavern  glaring,  teeth  gleaming,  eyes  blazing,  mane 
erect,  paws  spread,  claws  wide,  the  stoutest  heart  might 
well  quail.  Yet,  after  barely  escaping  one  lion,  this  fool- 
hardy coxcomb,  this  vainglorious  madcap,  joyously  called 
for  another  and  jauntily  despatched  him:  whatever  may  be 
said  against  Commodus  as  a  man  and  an  Emperor,  as  an 
athlete  he  believed  in  himself  and  justified  his  belief. 

He  called  for  a  third,  in  spite  of  Marcia's  shrieks,  ges- 
turing to  her  to  sit  down  and  keep  still,  and  laughing  up 
at  her.  But  by  this  time  Aemilus  Laetus,  who  was  after- 
wards the  last  Prefect  of  the  Praetorium  to  Commodus  and 
who  was  then  an  officer  of  the  Guards,  superior  to  the  officer 
who  had  protested,  approached,  saluted  and  spoke  to  the 
Emperor.  Their  conference  was  conducted  in  tones  too  low 
to  be  overheard,  but  it  was  afterwards  reported,  both  by 
those  who  claimed  to  learn  of  it  from  Commodus  and  by 
those  who  claimed  to  have  been  informed  by  La3tus,  that  he 
had  urged  upon  the  Emperor  that  his  personal  importance 
to  the  Eepublic  was  too  great  for  him  to  risk  himself  so 
needlessly,  and  that  Commodus  had  yielded  to  his  expostula- 
tions. 

At  any  rate  Commodus  ordered  arrested  and  bound  the 


'458  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

entire  gang  who  had  heen  handling  the  lions'  cages.  He 
then  walked  up  to  them  and  enquired  who  had  let  out  that 
lion.  When  no  one  confessed  to  having  been  responsible 
and  several  were  accused  by  their  fellows,  the  Emperor  gave 
orders  to  lead  off  all  concerned,  hale  them  not  before  the 
Palace  court,  nor  the  commission  in  charge  of  prosecutions 
for  offences  against  Imperial  Majesty,  but  before  the  regular 
public  magistrate  in  charge  of  trials  for  murder,  assassina- 
tion, poisoning,  homicidal  conspiracy  and  the  like. 

"Let  him  put  the  entire  gang  to  the  torture,"  the  Em- 
peror was  reported  as  ordering.  "Let  him  prosecute  his 
enquiry  until  he  gets  a  confession  plainly  naming  the  man 
who  bribed  the  poor  wretch  who  left  that  cage  half -fastened, 
or  the  man  who  bribed  the  man  who  forced  him  to  do  it, 
or  the  whole  chain  of  scoundrels,  from  the  noble  million- 
aire conspirators  who  hatched  the  idea,  through  their  rabble 
of  go-betweens  down  to  the  fool  who  hocussed  that  door- 
snap/' 

After  the  prisoners  were  marched  off  Commodus  had  the 
herald  apologize  for  the  interruption  of  the  entertainment, 
proclaim  that  it  would  now  proceed  and  request  everyone 
to  remain  to  enjoy  it.  Then  he  mounted  his  platform. 

Yet  this  was  his  last  exhibition  of  himself  in  the  role 
of  beast-slayer.  I  conjecture  that  as  the  episode  of  the  pie- 
bald horse  enlightened  him  as  to  the  facilities  for  unob- 
trusive assassination  afforded  his  enemies  by  his  public  ap- 
pearances as  a  charioteer,  so  this  episode  of  the  accidentally 
liberated  lion  awakened  him  to  the  ease  with  which  it  might 
be  arranged,  whenever  he  entered  the  arena  as  a  beast- 
slayer,  that  some  monster  might  be  loosed  at  him  rather  than 
for  him.  At  any  rate  he  never  again  took  his  stand  in  the 
arena  for  his  long  idolized  sport.  Beast-slaying  he  thence- 
forth eschewed. 

Of  course  it  was  not  by  any  means  at  once  that  we  in  the 
Choragium  realized  that  the  Emperor  had  abandoned  his 
vagary.  We  knew  only  that  we  were  suddenly  unemployed 
and  were  merely  glad  of  the  respite  and  then  uneasy  at  the 
change.  I  had  time  to  reflect  how  marvellous  had  been  my 


RECOGNITION  459 

luck.  Commodus  himself  had  three  several  times  asked  me 
questions  about  my  ability  to  control  beasts ;  Galen  had  many 
times  stood  by  me  or  passed  near  me,  often  with  his  eyes 
apparently  meeting  mine.  Satronius  Satro  had  stood  and 
gazed  at  me,  not  three  yards  away.  A  score  of  other  sen- 
ators, all  of  whom  had  known  me  in  the  days  of  my  pros- 
perity, had  been  as  near  me,  and  noblemen  to  the  number 
of  something  like  a  hundred.  Not  one  of  these  had  identi- 
fied me. 

If  I  escaped  recognition  it  was,  I  conjectured,  because 
of  the  deep-seated  habit  of  mind  of  noblemen  and  more 
exalted  personages  and  of  men,  like  Galen,  who  have  risen 
to  a  station  in  life  which  places  them  on  an  equality  with 
nobles;  the  habit  of  mind  which  makes  them  regard  a  slave 
not  as  a  human  being,  to  be  looked  at  as  an  individual,  as 
they  look  at  an  equal  or  any  freeman,  but  as  a  mere  object 
like  a  door,  or  gate  or  piece  of  statuary  or  of  furniture  or  a 
sort  of  utensil.  Such  men  look  full  at  a  slave,  if  unknown 
to  them,  without  really  perceiving  him.  From  this  cause, 
I  conceive,  I  escaped  recognition,  detection,  and  annihilation. 

Much  less  than  a  month  after  the  episode  of  Commodus 
and  the  two  lions  I  was  reading  in  my  quarters,  when  the 
slave  detailed  as  my  personal  servant  entered  and,  cringing, 
said  that  there  was  a  gentleman  who  wanted  to  see  me.  I 
gazed  at  him  severely  and  said: 

"I  think  you  are  mistaken.  Please  remember  what  the 
procurator  told  you  about  persons  desiring  to  intrude  on 
me." 

The  fellow  fairly  cowered,  visibly  sweating  and  trembling, 
but  insisted: 

"I  really  think  that  you  really  will  be  glad  to  see  this 
gentleman/' 

I  perceived  that  some  unusual  enticement  must  have  been 
offered  the  pitiful  wretch  to  induce  him  to  brave  the  terrors 
of  the  punishments  with  which  the  procurator  had  threat- 
ened him  if  he  allowed  any  would-be  visitors  to  reach  me.  It 
also  appeared  to  me  that  the  fellow  was  fond  of  me  and 
had  the  best  of  intentions. 


460  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"Show  the  gentleman  up,"  I  finally  said. 

He  had  been  gone  but  a  very  short  time  when  the  door 
opened  and  in  came.  .  .  . 

Tanno ! 

He  shut  the  door  fast  and,  without  a  word,  we  were  clasped 
in  a  close  embrace. 

When  our  emotions  quieted  sufficiently  I  pressed  Tanno 
into  a  chair  and  resumed  mine.  We  gazed  at  each  other 
some  time  before  either  mastered  himself  enough  for  words. 
Tanno  spoke  first,  veiling  his  feelings  beneath  his  habitual 
jocularity.  He  said: 

"Caius,  you  are  certainly  unkillable  or  bear  a  charmed 
life.  You  have  been  officially  certified  as  dead  two  several 
times.  First  you  were  butchered  by  the  Praetorians  at 
Ortona,  then  you  were  assassinated  by  a  disgruntled  public- 
slave  in  the  Umbrian  Mountains :  after  two  demises  here  you 
are,  as  alive  as  possible.  Please  explain." 

"I  feel  faint,"  I  said,  "and,  illogically,  both  thirsty  and 
hungry." 

I  signalled  for  my  servitor  and,  almost  at  once,  he  brought 
plenty  of  the  Choragium's  more  than  passable  wine,  fresh 
bread  and  a  variety  of  cold  viands.  A  draught  of  wine  and 
a  mouthful  of  bread  and  ham  made  me  feel  myself.  Then 
I  told  about  my  close  shaves  when  I  three  several  times  barely 
escaped  assassination  at  the  hands  of  partizans  of  Bulla, 
about  the  kindness  of  the  Villicus  and  procurator  and  why 
I  had  changed  my  name. 

"Why  didn't  you  send  at  least  a  tiny  note  to  Vedia  and 
let  her  know  you  were  alive  after  all  ?"  he  queried. 

"I  have  lain  awake  night  after  night,"  I  replied,  "com- 
posing letters  to  Vedia  and  to  you,  letters  which  would  tell 
you  what  I  wanted  if,  by  good  luck,  they  came  into  your 
hands,  but  which,  if  they  fell  into  the  hands  of  secret- 
service  agents,  would  tell  nothing  and  not  so  much  as  arouse 
enough  suspicion  to  cause  them  to  investigate  me  and  take 
a  look  at  me.  I  could  not  frame,  to  my  satisfaction,  even 
one  such  letter.  I  knew  that  any  messenger  I  employed 
would  most  likely  post  off  to  some  Imperial  spy  and 


RECOGNITION  461 

him  my  letter  before  he  took  it  to  its  destination  or  instead 
of  delivering  it.  I  canvassed  every  possible  messenger,  from 
my  personal  servitor  here  in  the  Choragium,  through  all  the 
slaves  I  knew  here  or  in  the  Colosseum  who  are  free  to  run 
about  the  city,  up  to  every  sort  of  street-gamin,  idler,  loafer, 
sycophant  and  what  not.  I  could  not  think  of  any  kind  of 
messenger  who  would  be  safe,  nor  of  any  letter  which  would 
not  be  dangerous.  Much  as  I  wanted  to  apprise  Vedia  of  my 
survival  I  could  not  but  feel  that  any  attempt  on  my  part 
to  communicate  with  her  or  with  you  would  lead  straight  to 
betrayal,  detection,  recognition  and  the  death  from  which 
Agathemer  saved  me." 

"I  believe  you  were  right,"  Tanno  agreed.  "It  has  all 
come  out  for  the  best.  You  are  alive  and  unsuspected  and 
I  have  found  you." 

"How  did  you  find  me?"  I  queried. 

"Galen,"  he  said,  to  my  astonishment,  "told  me  that  you 
were  sheltered  in  the  Choragium,  cloaked  under  the  style 
and  title  of  Festus  the  Beast-Tamer.  He  said  he  recog- 
nized you  last  fall,  but  did  not  judge  it  wise  to  give  me  or 
Vedia  so  much  as  a  hint  as  long  as  you  were  busy  in  the 
arena  in  full  view  of  all  Rome  on  festival  days  and  under 
the  eyes  of  our  entire  nobility  during  our  Prince's  exhibi- 
tions of  himself  as  Hercules  Delirans.  When  Commodus 
abruptly  realized  that  beast-killing  might  not  suit  his  health 
because  of  the  opportunities  it  gave  for  accidentally  letting 
lions  or  tigers  or  what  not  out  of  their  cages  at  unexpected 
moments,  since  he  was  not  likely  to  revert  to  his  renounced 
sport  and  you  were  not  likely  to  be  so  much  in  demand  and 
therefore  less  likely  to  be  much  under  observation,  Galen 
thought  it  safe  to  tell  me.  He  says  he  has  always  believed 
that  you  had  nothing  to  do  with  Egnatius  Capito's  con- 
spiracy, had  merely  been  seen  by  some  secret-service  agent 
while  talking  to  Capito,  never  were  a  member  of  his  con- 
spiracy, never  conspired  against  Commodus,  never  were  dis- 
loyal, have  never  been  and  are  not  any  danger  to  our  Prince, 
and  therefore  are  a  man  to  be  shielded  rather  than  informed 
on.  So  he  kept  his  face  when  he  recognized  you  in  the 


462  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

arena  masquerading  as  Festus  and  kept  his  counsel  till 
he  judged  the  time  ripe  to  tell  me. 

"I  at  once  told  Vedia,  in  person  and  privately.  She  is 
overjoyed,  and,  just  as  her  encounter  with  you  on  the 
Flaminian  Eoad  not  only  stopped  her  proposed  marriage  to 
Orensius  Pacullus,  but  made  her  feel  she  never  wanted  to 
hear  of  him  again,  so  your  resurrection  and  reappearance 
now  has  spoiled  an  apparently  prosperous  wooing  of  her  by 
Flavius  Clemens,  who  is  as  good  a  fellow  as  lives;  noble, 
rich,  handsome,  charming  and  just  such  a  suitor  as  Vedia 
might  and  should  have  married  if  you  were  really  dead, 
and  one  she  could  not,  in  any  case,  help  flirting  with.  She 
must  have  admiration,  attention  and  admirers.  With  all 
her  love  of  gaiety  she  loves  you  unalterably." 

"I  infer,"  I  said,  "that  she  told  you  of  our  encounter  on 
the  Flaminian  Way/' 

"She  did,"  he  answered,  "and  gave  me  a  full  report  of 
your  story  of  your  adventures  from  Plosurnia's  Tavern  till 
she  saw  you.  As  soon  as  we  conferred  we  both  started  to 
use  all  our  influence  and  any  amount  of  cash  necessary  (we 
both  have  cash  to  spare,  hoards  of  it)  to  arrange  for  your 
legal  manumission  by  the  fiscus,  your  disappearance,  and 
your  comfort  in  some  secure  shelter  until  it  might  be  safe 
for  you  to  reappear  as  yourself  in  your  proper  station  in 
society. 

"We  found  we  should  have  no  difficulty  in  arranging  for 
your  manumission.  It  has  already  been  favorably  reported 
on  the  recommendation  of  the  authorities  of  Nuceria.  We 
had  only  to  slip  a  small  bribe  or  two  to  expedite  matters. 
But  when  we  sent  off  a  dependable  agent,  armed  with  all 
the  necessary  papers,  to  set  you  free  from  your  captivity  on 
the  Imperial  estate,  and  provide  you  with  plenty  of  cash  to 
make  everything  smooth  for  your  disappearance,  he  was  con- 
fronted with  a  most  circumstantial  story  of  your  assassina- 
tion and  burial,  with  the  official  reports  of  both  and  the 
affirmation  of  an  upper  inspector  who  had  investigated  the 
matter. 

"We  could  not  but  think  you  dead  in  fact  and  Vedia  was 


RECOGNITION  468 

as  heartbroken  as  five  years  ago,  if  not  more  so,  for  the 
glamour  of  that  romantic  encounter  with  you  was  magical. 
I  believed  you  dead  and  was  astounded  when  Galen  gave  me 
his  information.  Vedia  is  as  amazed  as  I." 

After  some  mutual  desultory  chat  he  fell  to  questioning 
me  about  my  adventures  and,  drinking  and  eating  when  the 
humor  took  us,  we  spent  most  of  the  day  together,  I  rehears- 
ing for  him  all  that  I  had  told  Vedia  and  much  more  in 
detail  and  also  telling  of  all  which  had  befallen  me  since 
then. 

When  Tanno  left,  it  was  as  late  as  he  could  possibly  re- 
main and  yet  reach  the  Baths  of  Titus  in  time  for  the  brief- 
est bath  there. 

Next  day  he  came  again. 

By  this  time  both  he  and  I  had  had  time  to  think  over 
the  situation  and  to  arrive  at  definite  conclusions  as  to 
what  was  best  to  do.  I  was  delighted  to  find  that  his  ideas 
and  mine  agreed  as  to  all  essentials. 

When  he  first  came  in  he  said: 

"I  had  mighty  little  sleep  last  night.  I  could  hardly 
close  my  eyes  for  thinking  over  your  marvellous  adventures. 
The  more  I  ponder  over  them  the  more  wonderful  they 
seem;  especially  your  involvement  with  Materials;  your  en- 
counter with  Pescennius  Niger;  your  presence  in  the  Circus 
Maximus  when  Commodus: — I  mean  Palus: — drove  his  car 
over  the  axles  of  the  stalled  chariots  and  escaped  between 
them  out  of  the  smash  and  wreckage ;  your  involvement  with 
the  mutineers,  and  your  safety  in  Rome  all  these  months, 
even  in  the  arena  of  the  amphitheater.  I  congratulate 
you." 

Then  he  told  me  his  plan  which  he  had  already  talked 
over  with  Vedia  and  which  she  approved.  There  happened 
to  be  in  Eome  a  distinguished  and  wealthy  provincial  of 
senatorial  rank,  about  to  leave  for  Africa,  where  his  estates 
were  situated  and  where  he  owned  vast  properties  near  Car- 
thage, Hippo  Regius,  Hadrumetum,  Lambassis  and  Thysdrus, 
in  all  of  which  places  he  had  residences  of  palatial  propor- 
tions and  luxury.  He  had  been  making  enquiries  among  his 


464  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

acquaintances  for  a  slave  much  of  the  sort  Agathemer  had 
been  to  me.  He  had  not  found  one  to  suit  him.  Tanno 
thought  that  I  would  suit  him  and  could  easily  pass  myself 
off  as  the  sort  of  man  he  wanted.  Then  I  would  get  out  of 
Home  unsuspected  and  be  comfortable  and  well  treated  in  the 
most  Italian  of  all  our  out-provinces,  in  a  delightful  climate, 
amid  abundance  of  all  the  good  things  of  life. 

I  agreed  with  him. 

Then  he  disclosed  his  plan  for  bringing  this  about.  By 
influence  or  bribing  or  both  he  would  arrange  to  have  me 
sold  out  of  the  Choragium,  ostensibly  as  now  superfluous 
there,  and  to  have  me  bought  from  the  fiscus  by  a  depend- 
able and  close-mouthed  go-between  buyer,  who  would  agree 
to  hold  me  for  quick  resale  to  a  purchaser  designated  by 
Tanno.  Thus  Nonius  Libo,  the  wealthy  provincial  who  was 
to  be  induced  to  purchase  me,  would  know  nothing  of  my 
identity  with  Festus  the  Animal  Tamer  or  of  my  connec- 
tion with  the  Choragium. 

I  acclaimed  this  project  as  far  more  promising  than 
Vedia's  plan  to  seclude  me  in  the  dreary  wilds  of  Bruttium. 

Tanno  gave  me  a  letter  and  went  off.  I  found  the  missive 
a  long  and  loving  letter  from  Vedia:  one  to  soothe  and 
transport  any  lover. 

Tanno  had  said  that  he  would  not  visit  me  again  except 
as  was  absolutely  needful,  considering  it  reckless  and  ven- 
turesome to  run  the  risk  of  some  Imperial  spy  noticing  his 
visits  to  the  Choragium  and  making  investigations.  Though 
he  remarked  that  no  man  in  Borne  seemed  less  likely  than 
he  to  be  suspected  of  disloyalty,  intrigue  or  of  being  a  dan- 
ger to  the  Prince. 

Within  a  very  few  days  he  paid  me  one  more  visit  to 
inform  me  that  everything  had  gone  well,  that  all  neces- 
sary arrangements  had  been  made  for  my  sale  by  the  fiscus 
out  of  the  Choragium,  and  all  necessary  preparations  made 
to  take  full  advantage  of  it. 

A  few  days  later  I  was  formally  sold  for  cash  to  a  pro- 
vincial slave-dealer,  named  Olynthides.  In  a  slave-barrack 
which  he  had  hired  for  the  month  only  I  found  myself  with 


PHORBAS  465 

a  motley  crew,  but  kept  apart  from  them  and  comfortably 
lodged,  well  fed  and  considerately  treated,  as  valuable  mer- 
chandise. 

The  day  after  Olynthides  had  bought  me  Nonius  Libo 
came  to  inspect  me.  He  talked  to  me  in  Latin  and  in 
Greek,  commended  my  fluency  and  polish  in  the  use  of  both, 
had  me  write  out  a  letter  in  each  at  his  dictation,  read  both 
and  commended  my  accuracy,  script  and  speed;  questioned 
me  about  the  history  of  music,  painting,  and  sculpture  and 
as  to  my  opinions  on  the  works  of  various  sculptors,  paint- 
ers, architects  and  composers;  asked  about  my  tastes  along 
these  lines  and  as  to  jewelry,  fine  furniture,  tapestries,  car- 
pets and  the  like;  also  as  to  my  personal  tastes  concerning 
lodging,  bathing,  hunting,  food  and  clothing  and  was  I  a 
good  sailor  and  fond  of  the  sea;  and  stated  that  I  suited 
him. 

I  was  not  present  at  his  chaffering  with  Olynthides  but, 
after  no  long  interval  I  was  summoned  into  the  courtyard 
and  Olynthides  handed  me  over  to  Nonius  Libo;  along  with 
a  bill  of  sale. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

PHORBAS 

OLYNTHIDES  had  said  to  me: 
"I  make  it  a  point  always  to  forget  the  names  of  the 
slaves  I  buy  for  cash  without  any  guarantees  and  resell  the 
same  way.  I  have  as  bad  a  memory  for  names  as  any  man 
alive  and  I  help  my  bad  memory  to  be  as  much  worse  as  I  can, 
I'll  forget  your  name  in  a  few  days.  I  am  not  sure  I  re- 
member it  now.  What  is  it?" 

I  was  ready  for  him,  for  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to 
change  my  name  again  and  had  selected  my  new  name. 

"Phorbas,,"  I  answered. 

"Oh,  yes !"  he  ruminated,  "Phorbas,  to  be  sure.    I  should 
have  said  Florus  or  Foslius  or  something  like  that.    Phorbas  1 


466  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

I'll  remember  Phorbas  till  after  you  are  sold  and  the  cash 
in  my  hands  and  you  and  your  new  master  out  of  sight. 
Then  I'll  forget  that  too,  like  all  the  rest." 

As  Phorbas,  Phorbas  the  Art  Connoisseur,  I  began  my  life 
with  Nonius.  He  was  domiciled  in  a  palace  of  a  residence 
on  the  Carinae,  which  he  had  leased  for  the  short  term  of 
his  proposed  stay  in  Rome.  There  I  was  lodged  in  a  really 
magnificent  apartment,  with  a  private  bath,  a  luxurious  bed- 
room, a  smaller  bedroom  for  the  slave  detailed  to  wait  on 
me,  a  tiny  triclinium  and  a  jewel  of  a  sitting-room,  gorgeous 
with  statuettes  and  paintings,  crammed  with  objects  of  art 
and  walled  with  a  virtuoso's  selection  of  the  best  books  of 
the  best  possible  materials  and  workmanship. 

There  I  spent  some  happy  days.  Nonius  had  told  me  I 
might  go  out  all  I  pleased.  I  had  replied  that  I  preferred 
to  remain  indoors  until  we  set  out  for  Carthage.  He  smiled, 
nodded  and  said: 

"I  understand :  do  as  you  like." 

I  passed  my  time  most  agreeably,  except  for  several  intru- 
sions by  Libo's  wife,  Eufia  Clatenna.  She  was  a  tall,  raw- 
boned,  lean  woman,  with  unmanageable  hair  which  would  not 
stay  crimped,  a  hatchet  face,  too  much  nose  and  too  little 
chin,  a  stringy  neck,  very  large,  red,  knuckly  hands  and  big 
flat  feet.  She  had  a  mania  fer  economy  and  close  bargains, 
seemed  to  regard  her  husband  as  an  easy  mark  for  swindlers 
and  to  be  certain  that  he  had  been  cheated  when  he  bought 
me.  She  thought  herself  an  art-expert,  whereas  she  had  no 
sound  knowledge  of  any  branch  of  art,  no  memory  for  what 
she  had  heard  and  seen,  and  no  taste  whatever.  To  demon- 
strate that  her  husband  had  made  a  bad  bargain  when  he 
bought  me  she  bored  me  with  endless  questions  concerning 
the  contents  of  her  domicile,  of  which  she  understood  al- 
most nothing,  and  concerning  famous  composers,  painters, 
sculptors  and  architects,  as  to  whom  she  confused  the  few 
names,  dates  and  works  she  thought  she  knew  about. 

Nonius  came  on  us  in  his  atrium  while  she  was  putting 
me  through  a  questionnaire  on  every  statue,  painting  and 


PHORBAS  467 

carving  in  it.  The  first  time  he  saw  me  alone  he  said, 
smiling : 

"You  mustn't  mind  her ;  I  put  up  with  her,  you  can,  too." 

When  he  came  into  my  apartment  and  told  me  he  meant 
to  set  off  from  Eome  next  day,  I  ventured  to  express  my 
puzzlement  that  he  had  bought  me  and  never  mentioned  to 
me,  since  I  came  into  his  possession,  any  of  the  subjects 
on  which  he  had  questioned  me  and  for  knowledge  of  which 
he  had,  presumably,  wanted  me. 

"Oh/'  he  said,  "I  didn't  buy  you  for  myself.  I  know 
very  little  about  art  and  music  and  am  no  connoisseur  at 
all.  I  bought  you  for  my  cousin  Pomponius  Falco.  He  is 
as  much  interested  in  such  matters  as  any  man  in  Africa. 
He  is  richer  than  I  and  you'll  find  him  the  best  possible 
master.  He'll  be  at  Carthage  when  we  get  there  and  I'll 
resell  you  to  him  soon  after  we  land." 

Nonius  and  Clatenna  had  no  children,  but  doted  on  her 
sister's  son,  a  lad  of  not  much  over  twenty,  lean  as  his 
aunt,  but  small  boned  and  not  unshapely.  He  was  not, 
however,  handsome,  for  he  had  a  pasty,  grayish  complexion, 
thin  lank  hair,  almost  no  beard,  and  a  long  nose  suggesting 
a  proboscis.  His  name  was  Eufius  Libo,  and  he  was  Nonius 
Libo's  heir.  In  his  favor  Nonius  made  a  will  a  few  days 
before  we  left  Rome,  leaving  him  his  entire  estate  except 
a  jointure  to  Clatenna,  endowments  to  some  municipal  in- 
stitutions in  his  home  towns,  legacies  to  various  friends  and 
manumission  to  faithful  slaves.  Of  this  will  he  had  several 
duplicates  made  and  properly  witnessed  and  sealed.  One 
of  these  he  left  on  deposit  in  Rome;  another  he  despatched 
to  Carthage  by  a  special  messenger  by  way  of  Rhegium, 
Messana,  the  length  of  Sicily  to  Lilybaeum  and  thence  by 
sea  to  Carthage;  and  he  gave  one  each  to  Clatenna  and  to 
Rufius. 

When  he  gave  orders  for  the  despatch  of  the  copy  of  his 
will  by  the  special  messenger  I  was  astonished,  as  I  as- 
sumed that  we  were  to  travel  by  the  same  route.  But  I 
found  that  he  meant  to  sail  all  the  way  from  the  Tiberside 


468  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

water-front  of  Rome  to  Carthage.  This  amazed  me.  And 
not  unnaturally.  For  we  Romans  generally  dislike  or  even 
abhor  the  sea  and  sail  it  as  little  as  possible,  making  our 
journeys  as  much  as  we  can  by  land  and  as  little  as  may  be 
by  water,  choosing  any  detour  by  land  which  will  shorten 
what  crossings  of  the  sea  cannot  be  avoided. 

Among  the  few  Romans  whom  I  have  known  who  enjoy 
sea  voyages  I  count  myself.  Of  all  of  them  Nonius  out- 
classed the  rest.  He  worshiped  the  water  and  was  happiest 
when  afloat  and  well  out  to  sea.  He  told  me  that  he  had 
spent  more  money  on  his  private  yacht  than  on  any  of  his 
residences,  and,  when  I  saw  her,  I  believed  him.  A  larger, 
better  designed,  better  equipped,  better  manned,  better  sup- 
plied, better  appointed  private  yacht  I  never  beheld.  His 
rowers  kept  perfect  time  and  made  top  speed  all  down  the 
Tiber,  her  crew  set  sail  like  man-of-warsmen,  her  officers  were 
pattern  seamen  and  got  the  very  most  speed  on  their  way 
from  every  condition  of  wind  and  weather.  Rufius  and 
Clatenna,  while  not  as  good  sailors  as  Nonius  and  I,  were 
notably  good  sailors  and  we  had  a  very  pleasant  voyage  until 
we  were  almost  in  sight  of  Carthage.  Then  we  encountered 
a  really  terrific  storm. 

Now  I  am  not  going  into  any  details  of  our  disaster.  I 
do  not  know  whether  all  writers  of  memoirs  get  shipwrecked 
or  all  survivors  of  shipwrecks  write  reminiscences,  but  I  am 
certain  that  of  all  the  countless  memoirs  I  have  read  in  the 
course  of  my  life,  ninety-nine  out  of  every  hundred  con- 
tained one  or  more  accounts  of  shipwrecks,  narrated  with 
the  minutest  detail  and  dwelling  on  the  horrors,  agonies,  mis- 
eries, fears,  discomforts  and  uncertainties  of  the  survivors 
and  narrators  with  every  circumstance  calculated  to  harrow 
up  their  readers'  feelings.  I  could  write  a  similar  meticu- 
lous narrative  of  my  only  shipwreck,  and  it  was  sufficiently 
uncomfortable,  terrifying,  ghastly  and  hideous  to  glut  a 
reader  as  greedy  of  horrors  as  could  be,  but  I  am  geing  to 
pass  over  it  as  lightly  as  possible  and  summarize  it  as 
briefly  as  I  may. 

Suffice  it  to  set  down  here  that  we  were  not  driven  on 


PHORBAS  469 

any  rock  or  reef  or  shoal  nor  did  we  collide  with  any  other 
ship.  Laboring  heavily  in  the  open  sea,  straining  on  the 
crests  and  wallowing  in  the  troughs  of  the  stupendous  billows, 
the  yacht,  even  as  carefully  built  a  yacht  as  Libo's,  began 
to  leak  appallingly,  the  inrush  of  the  water  surpassed  the 
utmost  capacity  of  the  pumps  and  the  most  frantic  efforts 
of  the  men  at  them;  the  vessel  settled  lower  and  lower, 
labored  more  and  more  heavily  and  was  manifestly  about 
to  founder. 

The  officers  were  capable  men,  the  small  boats  sturdy  and 
their  crews  and  steersmen  skillful  and  confident.  Clatenna 
was  brave  and  Libo  magnificent.  He  kept  his  head,  domi- 
nated his  officers,  and  insisted  that  Rufius  and  I  should 
embark  in  a  different  boat  from  that  to  which  he  and  Cla- 
tenna trusted  themselves.  He  personally  saw  to  it  that 
Clatenna  and  Rufius  had,  on  their  persons,  each  their  copy 
of  his  will. 

Both  boats  were  successfully  launched,  and,  as  we  drew 
away  from  the  doomed  ship,  we  saw  a  third  and  fourth  put 
off  with  other  valued  members  of  his  household.  While  a 
fifth  and  sixth  were  being  swung  overboard  we  saw,  from 
the  top  of  a  huge  swell,  the  yacht  go  under  and  vanish; 
saw,  when  we  next  rose  on  the  chine  of  a  billow,  the  water 
dotted  with  spars,  wreckage  and  swimmers;  saw,  five  or  six 
times  more,  the  three  other  boats :  and  then  many  times,  high 
on  a  vast  wave,  beheld  only  the  waste  of  lifeless  waters, 
without  boat  or  swimmer. 

All  night  we  floated  and,  not  long  after  sunrise,  we  were 
seen  and  rescued  by  a  trading  ship  from  Carales  in  Sar- 
dinia, bound  for  Carthage. 

At  Carthage  we  were  soon  in  the  palace  formerly  Libo's 
and  now  the  property  of  Rufius.  He,  on  succeeding  to  his 
uncle's  estate,  at  once  rewarded  with  a  huge  donation  the 
steersman  of  the  boat  in  which  we  had  been  saved,  saying 
that  the  other  steersmen  did  their  best,  but  that,  if  the 
others  had  been  as  dexterous  as  he,  his  aunt  and  uncle 
would  not  have  perished  by  so  deplorable  and  so  untimely  a 
death. 


470  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Within  a  few  days  he,  now  my  owner  by  inheritance,  sold 
me  to  Pomponius  Falco,  as  Nonius  had  intended  to  do  him- 
self. 

Falco  liked  me  at  first  sight  and  I  him.  He  was  a  man 
between  thirty-five  and  forty  years  of  age,  a  natural  born 
bachelor  and  art  connoisseur.  He  was  of  medium  height,  of 
stout  build,  with  curly  black  hair  and  a  curly  black  beard, 
a  swarthy  complexion,  a  bullet  head,  a  bull  neck,  a  huge 
chest  and  plump  arms  and  legs.  He  was  by  no  means  un- 
handsome in  appearance  and  very  jovial,  good-humored,  and 
good-natured;  manifestly  fond  of  all  the  good  things  of  life 
and  able  to  discriminate  and  appreciate  the  best. 

For  several  days  after  I  came  into  his  possession  I  was 
his  dearest  toy.  He  spent  most  of  his  waking  hours  con- 
versing with  me  about  music  and  musicians,  poetry  and 
poets,  literature  and  authors,  paintings  and  painters,  statu- 
ary and  sculptors,  architecture  and  architects,  gems,  ivories, 
embroideries,  textiles,  furniture,  pottery  and  even  auto- 
graphs and  autograph  collecting.  He  seemed  to  appraise 
me  an  expert  on  all  such  lines  and  to  be  well  pleased  with  his 
purchase. 

Certainly  I  was  as  well  clothed,  fed,  lodged  and  attended 
as  if  I  had  been  his  twin-brother. 

Before  he  had  owned  me  many  days  Falco  said  to  me : 

"Phorbas,  I've  been  puzzling  about  you.  You  are  a  slave 
and  you  were  sold  to  poor  Libo  and  by  Eufius  to  me  as  a 
Greek.  Yet  you  have  none  of  the  appearance  nor  behavior  of 
a  Greek  nor  yet  of  a  slave.  You  look  and  act  and  talk  like  a 
freeman  born  and  a  full-blooded  Eoman,  and  a  noble  at 
that.  Please  explain." 

Now,  of  course,  in  imagining  all  the  forms  in  which  I 
might  be  assaulted  by  the  perils  which  beset  me,  I  had  fore- 
seen just  such  a  query  as  this  utterance  of  Falco's  involved 
and  I  had  pondered  and  rehearsed  my  answer.  I  realized 
that  I  must  be  ready  with  a  reply  wholly  plausible  because 
entirely  consonant  with  the  facts  of  our  social  life,  as  they 
existed,  so  that  no  one  could  take  any  exception  to  it,  I 
thought  I  had  framed  such  a  reply. 


PHORBAS  471 

"You  know  how  it  is,"  I  answered  easily.  "A  Roman 
master  buys  a  young  and  comely  Greek  handmaid.  In  due 
course  she  has  a  daughter,  legally  also  a  slave  and  nominally 
a  Greek,  yet  half  Eoman.  When  she  is  grown,  if  she  happens 
to  be  comely  and  the  property  of  a  master  like  most  masters, 
she  has  a  daughter,  a  slave  and  spoken  of  as  a  Greek,  yet 
only  a  quarter  Greek.  If  she  has  a  similar  daughter,  that 
daughter,  a  slave  and  called  a  Greek,  is  only  one-eighth 
Greek.  I  conceive,  from  all  I  know,  that  my  great  grand- 
mother, grandmother  and  mother  were  such  slave  women. 
I,  a  slave  and  ostensibly  a  Greek,  am  fifteen-sixteenths  Roman 
noble,  by  ancestry,  according  to  my  reckoning.  No  wonder 
my  descent  shows  in  my  bearing,  manner  and  conversation." 

This  answer  was,  actually,  not  so  far  from  the  facts,  my 
mother,  grandmother  and  great-grandmother  had,  certainly, 
been  Roman  noblewomen,  daughters  indeed,  each  of  one  of 
the  oldest  and  longest-lineaged  houses  of  our  nobility;  and, 
like  my  father,  grandfather  and  great-grandfather,  my  great- 
great-grandfather  had  been  a  Roman  nobleman.  But  his 
father,  my  great-great-great-grandfather,  had  been  a  freed- 
man,  manumitted  in  the  days  of  Nero,  acquiring  great 
wealth,  attaining  equestrian  rank  during  the  last  years  of 
Nero's  reign,  and  vastly  enriched  during  the  confusion  of 
the  civil  wars,  marrying  a  young  and  wealthy  widow  after 
Vespasian  was  firmly  established  at  Rome  by  the  crushing 
of  the  insurrection  of  Claudius  Civilis. 

Probably  the  general  consonance  of  my  answer  with  the 
facts  made  my  utterance  of  it  more  convincing.  Certainly 
it  appealed  to  Falco. 

"Just  about  what  I  conjectured,"  he  said,  smiling.  "And 
will  you  tell  me  in  what  part  of  Italy  and  on  what  estate 
you  were  born  and  how  you  came  by  your  air  of  aristocratic 
culture  and  by  your  marvellous  dilettantism?" 

"I  know  what  I  know  and  am  what  I  am,"  I  replied,  "be- 
cause I  was,  from  childhood,  treated  just  as  if  a  son  instead 
of  a  slave;  pampered,  indulged  and  made  much  of.  That 
lasted  till  I  was  more  than  full-grown. 

"The  misfortunes  of  the  family  to  which  I  belonged  came 


472  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

so  suddenly  that  I  was  not  manumitted,  as  I  should  have 
been  had  my  master  had  so  much  as  a  day's  warning  of  his 
downfall.  I  was  sold  to  a  fool  and  a  brute,  as  you  have 
probably  inferred  from  my  back.  The  marks  of  his  bar- 
barity which  I  bear,  and  my  lasting  grief  for  the  calamity 
of  the  household  in  which  I  was  born,  make  me  unwilling 
to  tell  you  anything  of  my  past  previous  to  my  purchase  from 
Olynthides  by  Nonius  Libo." 

"Well,"  he  said,  "your  feeling  is  natural  and  I  shall  not 
urge  my  curiosity  on  you.  I  mean  to  indulge  you  and  even 
pamper  you;  mean  to  endeavor  to  indulge  you  and  pamper 
you  so  you  will  feel  more  indulged  and  pampered  than  ever 
in  your  life.  I'll  make  a  new  will,  at  once,  leaving  you 
your  freedom  and  a  handsome  property.  I  expect  to  live  out 
a  long  life,  all  my  kin  have  been  healthy  and  long-lived.  But 
one  can  never  be  certain  of  living  and  I  mean  to  run  no 
risks  of  your  having  any  more  troubles.  You  deserve  ease 
and  comfort.  And  you  shall  have  them  if  I  can  arrange  it. 
I  love  you  like  a  born  brother  and  mean  to  treat  you  as  well 
as  if  you  were  my  twin/' 

The  year  in  which  Commodus  killed  the  two  lions,  each 
with  one  blow  of  his  trifling-looking  little  palm-wood  club, 
in  which  year  I  was  sold  out  of  the  Choragium,  and  pur- 
chased by  Nonius,  in  which  I  crossed  the  sea,  was  wrecked 
and  saved  and  resold  to  Falco,  was  the  nine  hundred  and 
forty-first  year  of  the  City  *  and  the  ninth  of  the  reign  of 
Commodus,  the  year  in  which  the  consuls  were  Allius  Fus- 
cianus  and  Duillius  Silanus,  each  for  the  second  time.  In 
Africa,  with  Falco,  I  spent  that  and  the  following  year  very 
comfortably  and  happily,  for  I  was  as  well  clothed,  fed, 
lodged  and  tended  as  Falco  himself.  I  liked  him,  even  loved 
him,  and  I  felt  perfectly  safe. 

The  climate  of  Africa  agreed  with  me,  and  I  liked  the 
fare,  especially  the  many  kinds  of  fruit  which  we  seldom 
see  in  Rome  and  then  not  in  their  best  condition,  and  som* 


188  A.D. 


PHORBAS  473 

of  which  we  never  see  in  Italy  at  all.  I  admired  the  scenery, 
and  I  delighted  in  the  cities,  not  only  Carthage  and  Utica, 
but  both  Hippo  Begins  and  Hippo  Diarrhytus,  and  also 
Hadrumetum,  Tacape,  Cirta  and  Theveste,  and  even  such 
mere  towns  as  Lambsesis  and  Thysdrus,  which  last  has  an 
amphitheater  second  only  to  the  Colosseum  itself.  They 
all  had  fine  amphitheaters,  magnificent  circuses,  gorgeous 
theaters  and  sumptuous  public  hot  baths.  Not  one  but  had 
a  fine  library,  a  creditable  public  picture-gallery,  and  many 
noble  groups  of  statuary,  with  countless  fine  statues  adorning 
the  public  buildings,  streets  and  parks.  The  society  of  all 
these  places  was  delightfully  cultured,  easy  and  unaffected. 
I  revelled  in  it  and  could  not  have  been  happier  except  that 
I  never  heard  from  Vedia  or  Tanno,  let  alone  had  a  letter 
from  either.  And  I  wrote  to  both  and  sent  off  letter  after 
letter  to  one  or  the  other.  For  it  seemed  to  me  that  a  letter 
in  this  form  could  not  excite  any  suspicion. 

"Phorbas  gives  greeting  to  Opsitius,  and  informs  him  that 
after  he  had  been  sold  by  Olynthides  to  Nonius  Libo,  he  sur- 
vived the  sinking  of  his  owner's  yacht  and  was  sold  by  Labo's 
heir  to  Pomponius  Falco,  in  whose  retinue  he  now  is.  Fare- 
well." 

I  sent  off,  at  least  once  a  season,  a  letter  like  this  to  both 
Tanno  and  Vedia.  No  word  from  either  ever  reached  me. 
I  could  but  conjecture  that  all  my  letters  had  miscarried. 

Meanwhile,  besides  being  reminded  of  it  each  time  I  wrote 
to  Tanno  or  Vedia,  I  did  not  forget  that  I  was  a  proscribed 
fugitive,  my  life  forfeit  if  I  were  detected.  I  conceived 
that  my  best  disguise  was  to  dress,  act  and  talk  as  much  as 
possible  in  the  character  of  dilettante  art  expert  and  music- 
lover,  which  I  had  assumed.  Falco  treated  me,  as  he  had 
prophesied,  almost  as  a  brother.  I  had  a  luxurious  apart- 
ment in  each  of  his  town  residences  and  country  villas,  and 
a  retinue  of  servants :  valet,  bath-attendant,  room-keeper, 
masseur,  reader,  messenger,  runner  and  a  litter  with  three 
shifts  of  powerful  bearers.  Everything  Falco  could  think  of 
in  the  way  of  clothing,  furniture  and  art  objects  was  show- 


474  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

ered  on  me  and  my  slightest  hint  of  a  wish  was  quickly 
gratified.  Also  Falco  supplied  me  a  lavish  allowance  of 
cash.  Therefore  I  could  gratify  any  whim.  Besides,  my 
amulet-bag  was  intact  and  had  in  it  all  the  gems  which 
Agathemer  had  originally  placed  there,  except  only  the  emer- 
ald Bulla  had  sold  for  me. 

I  thought  up  everything  I  could  do  to  make  myself  look 
completely  a  Greek  virtuoso  and  as  un-Koman-looking  as 
possible.  I  patronized  every  complexion-specialist,  friseur, 
perukier,  manicurist  and  fashionable  barber  in  that  part  of 
the  world.  I  bought  every  hair  tonic  for  sale  in  the  colony. 
Between  lotions  and  expert  manipulation  I  succeeded  in  grow- 
ing a  thick  curly  beard,  covering  my  chest  as  far  as  the 
lower  end  of  my  breast-bone  and  a  thick  head  of  hair  so 
long  that,  even  when  elaborately  frizzed  and  curled,  my  oiled 
and  scented  locks  fell  as  far  down  my  back  as  my  beard 
spread  on  my  bosom.  Nothing  could  have  made  me  look 
more  Corinthian  and  less  Roman. 

I  wore  the  gaudiest  clothing  I  could  find ;  tunics  and  cloaks 
of  pure  silk  and  of  the  brightest  or  most  effeminate  hues; 
crimson,  emerald-green,  peacock-green,  grass-green,  apple- 
green,  sea-green,  sapphire-blue,  sky-blue,  turquoise-blue,  saf- 
fron, orange,  amethystine,  violet  and  any  and  every  unusual 
tint;  boots  of  glazed  kidskin  or  of  dull  finish  soft  skin,  of 
hues  like  my  silk  garments,  always  with  the  edges  of  the 
soles  heavily  gilded.  And,  for  my  shoes  as  well  as  for  my 
garments,  I  chose  particolored  materials  with  the  most 
startling  or  languorous  combinations  of  unusual  dyes.  All 
my  boots  and  shoes  were  embroidered  in  silver  thread  or  gold 
thread,  all  my  outer  garments  embroidered  in  crimson,  deep 
green,  deep  blue,  gold  or  silver,  in  big,  striking,  conspicuous 
patterns.  I  had  elephants,  lions,  antelopes,  horses,  cattle, 
sheep,  stags,  goats,  storks,  cranes,  even  fish  embroidered  on 
my  outer  garments  amid  trees,  vines,  and  flowers;  roses, 
lilies,  violets,  poppies  and  others  uncountable.  "I  spent  on 
such  gewgaws  a  considerable  part  of  my  allowance,  yet  never 
exhausted  Falco's  lavish  provision  for  me. 

I  also  went  in  for  jewelry,  loading  my  fingers  with  flashy 


PHORBAS  475 

rings,  wearing  bracelets  on  both  wrists,  two  or  three  on  each, 
always  two  necklaces  and  even  earrings,  for  which  I  had  my 
ears  pierced,  like  a  Lydian. 

When  I  conned  myself  in  my  dressing-room  mirror,  ar- 
rayed in  such  a  superfluity  of  decorations  and  fripperies,  I 
felt  sure  that  no  one  would  take  me  for  a  Roman. 

In  these  apparently  natural  vanities  and  vagaries  Falco 
humored  me,  enquiring  of  his  friends  concerning  friseurs  of 
acclaimed  reputation,  buying  me  any  gaudy  fabrics  he  saw, 
also  presenting  me  with  caskets  of  necklaces,  amulets,  brace- 
lets, finger-rings  and  earrings.  He  rallied  me  on  my  oriental 
tastes,  but  aided  me  to  gratify  them. 

He  even  came  to  feel  his  interest  in  jewelry  and  gems  en- 
hanced by  my  fad  for  them.  He  took  to  purchasing  an- 
tiques in  jewelry  and  rare  and  unusual  gems  and  his  hoard 
grew  into  a  notable  collection. 

By  the  end  of  my  second  winter  with  Falco  I  had  come 
to  know  intimately  all  his  town  and  country  palaces  and  all 
his  dilettanti  friends  and  had  enjoyed  to  the  full  the  many 
delights  of  the  colony,  not  only  its  climate  and  fruits,  its 
scenery  and  cities,  its  statuary  and  pictures,  its  libraries  and 
public-baths,  but  its  excellent  performances  of  tragedies  and 
comedies,  and  its  spectacles  creditable,  not  only  as  to  chariot- 
racing  but  also  as  to  beast-fights  and  exhibitions  of  gladia- 
tors. I  found  life  in  Africa  extremely  agreeable  and  looked 
forward  to  any  length  of  it  with  contentment. 

I  may  remark  that  during  this  time  Oleander  came  to  the 
end  of  his  period  of  unlimited  wealth,  power  and  misrule. 
I  was  thus  out  of  Eome  at  the  time  of  his  downfall  and 
death  and  while  the  Praetorium  had  a  score  of  Prefects  in 
rapid  succession. 

In  the  spring  of  the  nine  hundred  and  forty-third  year 
of  the  city,*  and  the  eleventh  of  the  reign  of  Commodus,  the 
year  in  which  he  was  nominally  consul  for  the  sixth  time, 
along  with  Petronius  Septimianus,  Falco  startled  me,  while 

*A.D.  190. 


476  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

we  were  dining  alone  together,  as  Agathemer  and  I  had 
used  to  dine  together,  by  saying: 

"Phorbas,  you  talk  of  Rome  differently  from  any  other 
man  I  ever  heard  talk  of  it.  I  have  meditated  over  the  qual- 
ity of  what  you  say  of  Rome,  but  I  cannot  analyze  it  or 
describe  it  accurately.  Yet  I  may  say  that  others  talk  of 
Rome  as  holy  ground,  but  you  alone  make  me  feel  that  the 
soil  inside  the  Pomoerium  is  holy  ground :  others  talk  of  the 
grandeur  of  Rome;  you  make  me  realize  its  grandeur:  others 
prate  of  their  love  for  Rome:  you,  saying  little,  make  me 
tingle  with  a  subtly  communicated  sense  of  how  you  love 
Rome:  others  babble  of  how  life  away  from  Rome  is  not 
life,  but  merely  existence;  of  how  any  dwelling  out  of  Rome 
is  exile,  of  how  they  long  for  Rome;  you,  by  some  sorcery, 
make  me  not  only  feel  how  you  long  for  Rome,  but  have 
awakened  in  me  a  longing  for  Rome.  I  have  never  been  out 
of  this  colony  of  Africa,  not  even  into  Mauretania.  A  man 
as  rich  as  I  and  of  equestrian  rank  can  afford  to  travel,  to 
visit  all  the  interesting  parts  of  the  Empire,  to  live  where 
he  likes,  anywhere  in  Italy  or  even  in  Rome. 

"I  have  never  wanted  to  leave  this  colony:  I  love  every 
bit  of  it  and  especially  my  residences  and  estates.  I  have 
been  satisfied  here.  When  my  friends  argued  with  me  and 
tried  to  persuade  me  to  travel  and  especially  to  visit  Rome, 
I  never  was  convinced  by  their  arguments.  I  have  a  dread 
of  sea-voyaging,  a  dread  accentuated  by  the  death  of  poor 
Libo,  who  was  an  enthusiastic  voyager  and  had  a  yacht  as 
staunch  and  a  crew  as  capable  as  skill  could  produce,  money 
buy  and  judgment  collect.  Yet  he  perished.  I  did  not  need 
the  warning  of  his  fate  to  keep  me  ashore.  Then  again,  I 
prefer  to  be  a  big  frog  in  a  small  pond  to  being  a  small  frog  in 
a  big  pond.  I  am  one  of  the  most  important  men  in  this 
colony  and,  here  in  Africa,  I  am  always  somebody.  In  Rome 
I  should  be  nobody. 

"Yet,  without  my  realizing  it  and  later  against  my  will, 
your  conversation,  in  some  subtle  way,  has  so  infected  me 
with  the  desire  to  see  Rome  that  I  am  going  to  brave  the 
terrors  of  the  seas,  am  going  to  sink  myself  into  insignifi- 


IMPOSTURE  477 

cance  among  the  scores  of  richer  and  more  influential  men 
who  cluster  about  Caesar.  I  am  even  going  to  put  at  the 
mercy  of  the  sea  my  precious  collection  of  gems,  which  I 
now  value  more  than  you  and  myself  together  and  twice 
over. 

"I  have  made  all  my  arrangements.  I  have  put  my  af- 
fairs in  order,  made  sure  that  my  estates  will  be  properly 
managed  in  my  absence,  bought  the  best  yacht  to  be  had  in 
the  harbor  of  Carthage,  and  that  is  saying  a  great  deal  for 
its  excellence,  and  I  have  ordered  coffers  in  which  to  pack  my 
beloved  gems. 

"Prepare  to  accompany  me ;  within  ten  days  we  set  off  for 
Rome." 

I  knew  Falco.  Easy-going  as  he  was,  when  he  had  taken 
a  notion  to  buy  and  indulge  a  connoisseur-slave,  collect  gems 
or  visit  Eome,  opposition,  arguments,  artfulness  or  strata- 
gems were  alike  useless.  I  resigned  myself  to  my  fate. 

I  meditated  over  this  fifth  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy 
of  the  Aemilian  Sibyl. 

Since  I  had  been  with  Falco  and  practically  a  free  and 
rich  man,  I  had  made  handsome  sacrifices  at  Mercury's  Tem- 
ples in  all  the  cities  we  visited  which  had  temples  to  Mer- 
cury. The  morning  after  Falco  announced  his  intentions 
to  go  to  Eome  I  went  out  alone  and  unattended;  myself,  in 
the  market  place  of  Carthage,  bought  two  white  hens;  my- 
self carried  them  to  the  Temple  of  Mercury  and  myself  had 
them  offered  to  the  god. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

/ 

IMPOSTURE 

WE  had  no  bad  weather  on  our  voyage  to  Rome  nor  any 
adventure.     The  day  before  we  sailed  I  had  conned 
my  image  in  the  mirror  in  my  dressing-room  and  had  com- 
forted myself  with  the  decision  that  no  human  creature  could 


478  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

conceivably  suspect  of  being  a  Roman  this  full-bearded,  long- 
haired, long-nailed,  frizzed,  curled,  oiled,  perfumed,  gaudy, 
tawdry,  bedizened,  bejeweled,  powdered,  rouged,  painted 
popinjay. 

I  laid  in  an  extra  supply  of  nail-polish,  nail-tint,  rouge, 
face-paint,  blackening  for  painting  eyebrows  and  eyelashes, 
and  of  perfumery,  cosmetics,  unguents  and  such  like.  If  I 
were  sufficiently  whitened,  reddened,  rouged,  and  painted  I 
hoped  I  should  be  well  enough  disguised  to  face  Gratillus  or 
even  Flavius  Clemens  without  a  qualm.  Actually  my  bizarre 
and  fantastic  appearance  was  an  almost  complete  protection, 
to  me. 

And  I  needed  protection.  For  Falco  was  related  to  many 
prominent  families  and  men  in  Rome;  for  instance,  he  was 
a  cousin  of  Senator  Sosius  Falco,  who  was  consul  two  years 
later.  He  was  introduced  widely  and  at  once  and  invited 
everywhere.  I  was  constantly  in  attendance  on  him. 

My  experiences  during  my  long  stay  at  Rome  with  Falco 
were,  in  truth,  amazing.  He  bought  a  fine  palace  on  the 
Esquiline,  near  the  Baths  of  Titus,  furnished  it  lavishly, 
-entertained  magnificently  and  revelled  in  the  life  of  Rome. 
At  first  I  was  busy  showing  him  the  chief  sights  of  the 
City,  then  the  minor  sights,  then  coaching  him  in  the  niceties 
of  social  usages,  then  convoying  him  on  the  round  of  all 
notable  sculptures,  picture  galleries,  private  collections  of 
pictures  or  statuary,  famous  museums,  repositories  of  all 
kinds  of  art  objects  and,  especially,  the  gem  collections,  both 
private  and  public,  particularly  the  large  exhibit  in  the 
temple  of  Venus  Genetrix,  placed  there  by  the  Divine  Julius, 
and  the  smaller  exhibit  in  the  temple  of  Apollo  on  the 
Palatine,  donated  by  Octavia's  son,  Marcellus. 

Later  he  divided  his  time  between  giving  dinners  and 
going  out  to  dinners  and  haunting  the  houses  of  gem  col- 
lectors and  the  shops  of  jewelers. 

He  began  visiting  jewelers'  shops,  to  be  sure,  within  a 
few  days  of  our  arrival  in  Rome.  We  had  not  been  there 
ten  days,  in  fact,  when  he  made  me  conduct  him  to  the 


IMPOSTURE  479 

Portions  Margaritaria,  on  the  Via  Sacra,  near  the  great 
Forum,  which  was  and  is  the  focus  of  pearl  dealers  and  gem 
dealers  in  general  in  Eome. 

There  we  entered  several  shops  and,  at  last,  I  could  not 
keep  him  out  of  that  of  Orontides,  who  had  known  me 
perfectly.  His  was  unique  among  shops  in  Eome  and  prob- 
ably was  the  largest  and  most  splendid  jewelry  shop  in  all 
the  world :  more  like  a  small  temple  of  Hercules  or  a  temple- 
treasury  than  a  shop.  It  was  not  in  the  Pearl-Dealers' 
Arcade,  where  only  small,  square,  usual  shops  were  possible, 
but  adjacent  to  it  and  entered  from  the  Via  Sacra.  It  was 
circular,  with  a  door  of  cast  bronze,  beautifully  ornamented 
with  reliefs  of  pearl-divers,  tritons,  nereids  and  other  marine 
subjects.  Inside  its  dome-shaped  roof  was  lined  with  an 
intricate  mosaic  of  bits  of  glass  as  brilliant  as  rubies,  emer- 
alds and  sapphires,  or  as  gold  and  silver.  The  roof  rested 
on  a  circular  entablature  with  a  very  ornate  cornice,  under 
which  was  a  frieze  ornamented  with  reliefs,  representing 
winged  cupids  working  as  gem-cutters  and  polishers,  as 
chasers  of  salvers  and  goblets,  and  as  goldsmiths  and  silver- 
smiths. The  architrave  was  as  ornate  as  the  cornice.  The 
entablature  was  supported  by  eight  Ionic  columns  of  the 
slenderest  and  most  delicate  type,  of  dark  yellow  Numidian 
marble,  while  the  lining  of  the  wall-spaces  was  of  the  lighter 
yellow  Mauretanian  marble.  Of  the  eight  wall-spaces  one 
was  occupied  by  the  doorway,  over  which  was  a  bronze  group 
representing  a  combat  of  two  centaurs.  On  either  side  of  the 
door  was  a  wall-space  ennobled  by  a  niche  with  a  life-size, 
bronze  statue,  one  of  Orontides'  father,  the  other  of  his 
grandfather,  both  of  whom  had  been  distinguished  gem- 
dealers  at  Antioch.  Two  more  wall-spaces  were  occupied  by 
ample  windows,  not  of  open  lattices,  but  glazed  with  almost 
crystalline  glass  set  in  bronze,  a  form  of  window  seldom  seen 
except  in  great  temples,  the  Imperial  Palace,  and  the  resi- 
dences of  the  most  opulent  senators  and  noblemen. 

The  three  wall-spaces  behind  the  counter  were  filled  from 
column  to  column  with  tiers  of  superposed  recesses,  in  size 


480  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

like  the  urn  niches  of  a  burial  columbarium,,  but  each  closed 
with  a  door  of  cornel-wood  carved  and  polished,  behind  which 
doors  Orontides  kept  his  precious  merchandise. 

The  counter  divided  the  shop  across  from  window  to  win- 
dow. It  had  in  the  middle  a  narrow  wicket  through  which 
Orontides  and  his  assistants  could  crawl  in  and  out.  Other- 
wise the  outer  face  of  the  counter  was  of  two  blocks  of 
Numidian  marble,  carved  in  patterns  of  twining  vines;  its 
top  was  of  one  long  slab  of  the  exquisitely  delicate  white 
marble  from  Luna.  On  it  lay  always  squares  of  velvet,  in 
color  dark  blue,  black,  dark  green,  and  crimson,  on  which 
were  admirably  displayed  his  goldsmith  work  and  jewelries. 

Below  the  panels  about  each  statued  niche  was  a  curved 
seat  of  Numidian  marble  amply  large  for  four  persons  at 
once,  so  that  eight  prospective  customers  could  sit  and  wait 
while  as  many  stood  at  the  counter;  and,  according  to  my 
recollection  of  the  shop  in  the  days  of  my  prosperity,  a  shop 
crowded  with  customers  was  the  rule  rather  than  the  excep- 
tion with  Orontides. 

It  was  crowded  when  we  entered.  I,  endeavoring  to  con- 
serve a  natural  demeanor,  felt  my  sight  blur.  I  saw,  as  we 
entered,  only  a  row  of  backs  of  customers  standing  at  the 
counter:  three  in  noblemen's  togas,  one  in  the  toga  of  a 
senator,  their  fulldress  boots  conspicuously  red  beneath 
their  robes;  four  in  the  silken  garments  of  wealthy  ladies, 
all  in  pale  soft  hues  of  exquisite  Coan  dyes. 

Of  these  eight  backs  two,  one  of  the  lady  midway  of  the 
counter,  the  other  of  her  escort,  appeared  terrifyingly  fa- 
miliar. 

In  fact,  when  we  entered  I  had  three  distinct  shocks  in 
quick  succession.  Flashy,  painted  and  rouged  as  I  was  I 
dreaded  Orontides'  eyes.  There  he  was  behind  his  counter, 
visible  through  a  rift  in  the  press  of  handsomely  dressed 
customers  of  both  sexes. 

Instinctively  I  glanced  at  the  only  other  interval  in  the 
line  of  absorbed  opulent  backs. 

Through  it  I  recognized  Agathemer  smiling  at  me! 

I  saw  that  he,  at  least,  recognized  me  at  once  and  my 


IMPOSTURE  481 

dread  of  Orontides  intensified  tenfold.  I  knew  Agathemer 
would  be  discreet,  loyal  and  trusty.  I  dreaded  to  lose  coun- 
tenance if  I  kept  my  eyes  on  his  face  and  I  looked  else- 
where. 

I  recognized  the  back  of  Flavius  Clemens! 

If  he  turned  round  I  felt  I  was  lost.  Yet  I  could  not  flee. 
Falco  was  certain  to  linger  in  the  shop.  I  must  keep  my 
self-control  and  prepare  to  brazen  out  anything. 

The  next  instant  I  recognized  the  back  of  the  lady  next 
Flavius  Clemens. 

Vedia! 

As  I  recognized  her  she  turned,  saw  me,  knew  me  through 
my  disguise,  flushed,  and  turned  back. 

I  should  not  have  been  surprised  if  she  had  fainted  and 
crumpled  up  on  the  white  and  brown  mosaic  floor  in  front 
of  the  counter.  She  kept  her  feet  and  her  outward  self- 
possession. 

Clemens  spoke  to  her  in  an  undertone. 

"No/'  she  answered  him,  in  a  choked  voice,  "I  have 
changed  my  mind.  I  won't  take  these/' 

She  was  handling  an  unsurpassable  necklace  of  big  pearls. 

He  whispered  to  her. 

"No/'  she  said,  curtly.  "I  won't  look  at  any  others.  I 
think  I'll  go  home." 

He  was  so  amazed  that  he  never  saw  me  or,  I  think,  any- 
thing or  anybody  else  in  that  shop  just  then.  He  escorted 
her  out. 

When  I  regained  my  self-possession  enough  to  feel  that  I 
appeared  at  ease  and  could  trust  myself  to  glance  at  the 
other  customers  as  I  should  have  done  had  I  been  in  fact 
what  I  was  trying  to  appear,  I  was  relieved  to  find  that 
not  one  of  them  was  more  than  distantly  known  to  me. 

The  idlers  on  the  benches  showed  no  inclination  to  rise 
and  approach  the  counter.  Falco  and  I  occupied  the  inter- 
val vacated  by  Clemens  and  Vedia.  Agathemer,  of  all  men 
on  earth,  asked  what  he  could  do  for  us.  Falco  stood  there  a 
long  time,  saw  a  goodly  fraction  of  the  finest  jewels  in 
Orontides'  possession  and,  manifestly,  made  as  favorable 


482  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

impression  of  connoisseurship  on  Agathemer  as  Agathemer 
made  on  him.  They  eyed  each  other  as  fellow-adepts.  Falco 
asked  that  he  reserve  an  antique  Babylonian  seal  cut  in 
sardonyx  and  promised  to  send  a  messenger  with  its  price 
before  dark.  Agathemer,  who  was  passing  under  the  name 
of  Eucleides,  blandly  replied  that  Orontides  would  prefer 
to  send  the  seal  to  Falco's  residence.  Falco  agreed,  of  course, 
and  to  my  unutterable  relief  we  finally  departed. 

Agathemer — Eucleides — brought  the  seal;  and  timed  his 
Arrival  neatly  as  Falco  returned  from  the  Baths  of  Titus  just 
before  dinner  time.  He  was  giving  a  big  formal  dinner  and 
my  dinner  was  to  be  served  in  my  apartment,  which  had  a 
tiny  triclinium;  being  as  lavishly  appointed,  and  one  in 
which  I  was  as  luxuriously  lodged  and  served,  as  those 
I  had  had  in  Carthage  and  Utica. 

I  asked  Agathemer  if  he  could  stay  and  dine  with  me  and 
he  accepted.  We  had  a  wonderful  dinner.  The  food,  of 
course,  was  unsurpassable  and  our  appetites  keyed  up  by  our 
mutual  emotions.  When  the  dessert  and  wine  were  brought 
in  I  dismissed  the  waiters,  made  sure  that  no  man  or  boy 
of  my  retinue  was  in  my  apartment  and  bolted  its  door. 

Then  we  fell  into  each  other's  arms. 

After  we  had  expressed  our  mutual  affection  I  told  him 
my  story  from  the  morning  after  the  massacre  and  he  told 
me  his,  which  was  commonplace. 

He  had  easily  escaped  from  the  slave-convoy  between  Nar- 
nia  and  Interamnia,  had  made  his  way  to  Ameria  and  found 
shelter  there  with  slaves  as  an  ordinary  runaway  slave.  After 
a  discreet  interval  he  had  travelled  to  Eome.  There  he  had 
found  old  acquaintances  to  protect  and  shield  him.  I  was 
presumed  to  be  dead  and  any  fellow-slave  would  help  him  in 
his  situation,  he  being  presumed  to  be  legally  a  slave  of  the 
fiscus.  He  had  no  difficulty  in  disposing  of  a  gem  out  of 
his  amulet-bag  and  then  rented  lodgings,  passed  as  a  freed- 
man,  by  the  name  of  Eucleides,  and  gradually  made  himself 
known  to  various  gem-experts  who  gave  him  as  much  pro- 
tection as  had  his  fellow-slaveSj  his  former  acquaintances. 


IMPOSTURE  48S 

Orontides  perfectly  knew  who  he  was,  yet  engaged  him  as 
an  assistant  by  the  name  of  Eucleides  and  as  being  a  freed- 
man.  Ever  since  then  he  had  lived  safe  in  his  lodgings, 
and  spent  his  days  at  Orontides'  shop  or  about  Kome  at 
gem-dealers.  He  declared  that  he  was,  if  possible,  more 
of  a  gem-expert  than  before  our  adventures  began,  which 
was  saying  a  great  deal. 

He  laughed  heartily  and  often  at  my  disguise,  acclaimed 
it  a  work  of  art  in  every  detail  and  in  its  total  effect  and 
vowed  that  he  believed  that  I  could  spend  years  in  Rome 
in  Falco's  retinue  and  encounter  all  my  old  acquaintances 
and  be  in  little  danger  from  any  and  in  no  danger  except 
from  such  professional  physiognomists  as  Galen  and 
Gratillus. 

I  told  him  of  what  Galen  had  said  to  Tanno.  Agathemer 
said  he  had  had  only  two  interviews  with  Tanno,  at  which 
they  had  deplored  my  death,  I  having  been  believed  to  have 
perished  with  Nonius  Libo.  They  had  also  agreed  to  avoid 
each  other,  for  fear  of  attracting  the  notice  of  some  secret- 
service  agent  or  volunteer  spy.  Tanno  had  not  mentioned 
Galen. 

We  agreed  that  we,  also,  must  avoid  each  other  and  not 
meet  oftener  than  say  four  times  a  year,  for  fear  of  leading 
to  my  detection. 

He  told  me  of  Marcia's  unlimited  power  over  Commodus, 
the  whole  Palace  and  the  entire  social  and  governmental 
world  of  Rome.  He  also  said  that  he  was  convinced  that 
Ducconius  Furfur  was  domiciled  in  the  Palace  and  that 
Commodus  used  him  as  dummy  ceremonial  Emperor,  when 
he  himself  was  masquerading  as  Palus,  the  Gladiator,  for 
he  was  now  developing  for  public  exhibitions  of  his  swords- 
manship a  mania  as  insensate  as  those  he  had  had  for  char- 
ioteering and  beast-fighting. 

Next  day,  naturally,  I  had  a  visit  from  Tanno,  who  even 
sacrificed  his  afternoon  bath  and  came  to  see  me  while  Falco 
was  at  the  Baths  of  Titus. 

He  embraced  me  heartily,  when  we  were  alone,  and  talked 
with  his  habitual  mask  of  jocularity. 


484  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"Three  times  dead,  Cains/'  he  said,  "and  still  alive  and 
fit.  Dying  seems  to  agree  with  you,  whether  it  is  military 
execution,  rural  assassination,  or  drowning  at  sea.  I  am 
still  incredulous  that  you  are  really  alive;  we  had  the  most 
circumstantial  accounts  of  the  loss  of  poor  Libo's  yacht  with 
all  on  board/' 

"That  is  odd,"  I  said,  "Kufius  Libo  survived  and  succeeded 
to  his  uncle's  property." 

"I  knew  he  inherited  all  Nonius  left,"  Tanno  stated,  "but 
I  had  no  idea  that  Nonius  had  Rufius  with  him  here  in  Rome 
and  that  he  was  on  the  yacht;  I  thought  he  was  in  Carthage 
all  the  while.  Certainly  every  account  we  had  specified  that 
no  one  was  rescued  from  that  yacht." 

I  told  him  that  Rufius  had  promised  me  to  write  him  of 
my  survival  and  that  I  had  despatched  at  least  a  score  of 
letters  to  him  and  as  many  to  Vedia.  He  was  as  puzzled 
as  I  that  not  one  had  reached  either  of  them. 

I  gave  him  an  account  of  my  life  since  he  had  seen  me 
and  he  approved  of  my  disguise  as  much  as  had  Agathemer 
and  laughed  at  it  even  more  heartily. 

He  said: 

"Poor  Flavius  Clemens  is  in  a  daze.  He  cannot  conjec- 
ture what  has  gone  wrong  with  his  wooing  again  a  second 
time.  He  behaved  very  tactfully  after  his  first  rebuff  en- 
suing on  Galen's  tip  to  me  and  mine  to  Vedia.  He  was  so 
cautious  about  not  thrusting  himself  on  Vedia  that  their 
acquaintance,  quite  naturally,  warmed  again  gradually  into 
mutual  interest  and  romantic  affection  and  was  ripening  into 
love  when  the  sight  of  you  yesterday  annihilated  his  excel- 
lent chances  of  marrying  her.  He  was  just  about  to  buy  for 
her  a  two-million-sesterce  pearl  necklace.  If  she  had  accepted 
the  gift  it  would  have  been  tantamount  to  a  public  pledge 
to  marry  him.  Poor  fellow!" 

When  he  left  he  gave  me  a  letter  from  Vedia,  a  letter  as 
loving  as  a  lover  could  wish  for.  She  declared  that  she  would 
not  marry  Flavius  Clemens  nor  anybody  except  me  and  would 
wait  for  me  as  long  as  might  be  necessary  or  stay  unmarried 


IMPOSTURE  485 

until  the  end  of  her  days,  if,  by  any  misfortune,  the  end  came 
to  her  before  she  and  I  were  free  to  marry. 

She  said  that  we  must  avoid  each  other  as  much  as  pos- 
sible and  that  I  must  not  spoil  my  chances  of  safety  either 
by  relying  too  recklessly  on  my  disguise  or  through  risking 
arousing  suspicion  in  Falco  by  any  attempt  at  confining  my- 
self to  my  apartment,  which  would  have  been  altogether  incon- 
gruous with  the  character  I  had  assumed. 

The  rest  of  that  year  and  all  the  winter  I  passed  living 
the  normal  life  of  an  indulged  and  pampered  favorite  of  an 
opulent  bachelor  dilettante  noble.  It  was  a  life  almost  as 
enjoyable  as  the  life  of  a  wealthy  nobleman  to  which  I  had 
been  born  and  brought  up. 

I  had  but  one  anxiety  and  that  was  not  small  and  it  steadily 
increased.  It  was  caused  by  a  progressive  alteration  and 
deterioration  in  the  character  of  my  master.  In  all  other 
respects  he  remained  the  man  he  had  been  when  he  first 
bought  me,  but  as  a  gem-fancier  his  hobby  became  a  passion 
which  deepened  into  a  mania  and  colored,  or  discolored,  all 
he  did.  He  had,  as  he  always  had  had,  a  very  large  surplus 
of  income  over  and  above  what  was  needful  to  maintain  his 
huge  estates  in  Africa,  his  many  luxurious  villas  and  town- 
palaces  there,  his  yacht  and  his  palaces  in  Italy  at  Baiae  and 
at  Eome.  The  normal  accumulation  of  this  surplus  had 
taxed  his  sagacity  as  an  investor,  for  it  was  always  harder  for 
him  to  find  advantageous  investments  for  his  redundant  cash 
than  to  find  cash  for  tempting  investments.  Certainly  his 
excess  income  more  than  sufficed  for  any  reasonable  indul- 
gence in  gem-collecting. 

Yet  his  outlay  for  rare  gems  ran  up  to  and  outran  and 
far  outran  his  resources.  The  strange  result  was  that  he, 
who  had  huge  revenues  from  estates  and  safe  investments, 
desired  a  still  greater  income.  He  began  to  embark  in  risky 
ventures  which  promised  large  and  quick  returns.  He  went 
into  partnership  with  two  different  nobles,  who  made  a  prac- 
tice of  bidding  on  the  taxes  of  frontier  provinces  exposed  to 
enemy  raids.  Bidders  were  shy  of  investing  their  cash  i» 


486  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  problematical  returns  of  such  regions  and  those  who  had 
the  hardihood  to  enter  into  contracts  with  the  government 
made  huge  profits  if  lucky.  Falco  was  lucky  each  time.  He 
plunged  again  and  again. 

He  also  embarked  similarly  in  bidding  for  unpromising 
contracts  and  in  buying  up  estates  thrown  unexpectedly  on 
the  market.  All  his  ventures  turned  out  successfully,  he 
gained  great  resources  for  indulging  his  fad  for  gems  and 
rare  curios,  his  collection  grew  and  became  one  of  the  most 
famous  private  collections  in  Rome. 

Also  his  mania  for  speculation  grew  as  fast  as  his  mania 
for  collecting  gems. 

This  led  to  my  exposure  to  the  oddest  and  most  alarming 
peril  which  I  had  run  since  Agathemer  and  I  crawled  through 
the  drain-pipe  at  Villa  Andivia;  greater  I  think,  than  the 
risk  I  ran  when  I  nearly  encountered  Gratillus  at  Placentia. 
This  happened  about  eleven  months  after  I  came  to  Rome 
with  Falco,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  when  Pedo  Apronianus 
and  Valerius  Bradua  were  consuls. 

This  occurrence  and  the  circumstances  which  led  up  to  it 
I  cannot  forbear  narrating,  but  I  shall  not  go  into  details, 
for  it  involves  at  least  allusion  to  behavior  not  at  all  cred- 
itable to  my  owner  and  I  am  unwilling  to  disparage  or  seem 
to  disparage  one  who  was  to  me  a  dear  friend  and  a  generous 
benefactor.  The  truth  is  that  his  passion  for  gem-collecting 
had  not  only  undermined  his  character  but  had,  in  a  way, 
sapped  the  foundations  of  his  native  uprightness.  If  he  had 
remained  the  man  he  was  when  he  bought  me  he  would  not 
have  been  capable  of  entertaining,  let  alone  of  acting  on,  the 
considerations  which  actuated  him. 

He  thought  he  saw  a  chance  to  make  vast  profits  quickly 
with  no  risks.  But  to  achieve  this  he  needed  the  presence 
and  the  countenance  of  another  wealthy  nobleman  of  the 
African  province,  who,  like  him  when  he  purchased  me,  had 
never  been  in  Rome  or,  indeed,  out  of  the  colony.  The  name 
of  this  man,  whom  I  had  met  while  in  Thysdrus,  was  Sal- 
sonius  Salinator.  His  wealth,  inherited  by  his  father  and 
grandfather  from  a  long  line  of  wealthy  ancestors,  came  from 


IMPOSTURE  487 

many  vast  salt  works  along  the  coast,  which,  by  the  custom 
of  the  province,  remained  private  property  and  merely  paid 
the  government  a  lease-tax  or  rent.  The  family  had  been, 
many  generations  before,  named  from  these  works  and  was 
very  proud  of  its  names. 

Now  Falco  had  so  far  progressed  with  his  negotiations  that 
the  other  parties  to  the  proposed  bargain  were  unwilling  to 
close  the  deal  and  sign  a  contract  with  Falco  and  his  asso- 
ciates unless  Salsonius  Salinator,  in  person,  appeared  to  make 
some  necessary  statements,  and  were  willing  and  eager  to 
sign  and  seal  the  projected  agreement  if  he  did  appear  in 
person  and  did  make  those  required  statements.  I  am  averse 
to  smirching  Falco's  memory  by  going  more  minutely  into 
detail. 

Now  Salinator  had  written  Falco  that  he  was  coming  to 
Rome  and  later,  when  he  received  a  letter  from  Falco  out- 
lining the  pending  negotiations  and  their  object,  he  had  writ- 
ten promising  to  be  in  Rome  by  a  specified  date.  He  was 
most  enthusiastic  as  to  Falco's  project  and  thought  as  well  of 
it  as  did  Falco.  Falco  told  his  associates  of  Salinator's  letter 
and  promise  and  they  adjusted  their  outstanding  investments 
eo  as  to  be  able  to  close  the  contract  as  soon  as  Salinator  ap- 
peared. 

He  did  not  appear  on  the  date  specified.  Naturally  Falco 
was  perturbed,  his  associates  vexed  and  the  men  with  whom 
they  were  dealing  increasingly  restive.  They  threatened  to 
break  off  the  negotiations  and  close  a  contract  with  other 
bidders.  Falco  begged  for  an  extension  of  the  time  and  they 
grudgingly  granted  it.  Still  no  signs  of  or  word  from  Sal- 
inator. The  negotiations  appeared  likely  to  fall  through. 

In  his  distress  Falco  conceived  and  set  about  putting  into 
practice  a  scheme  such  as  he  would  never  have  thought  of 
or  entertained  if  he  had  been  the  man  he  was  when  he  bought 
me.  When  he  was  himself  he  had  been  the  reverse  of  dis- 
honorable. He  came  to  me  and  said: 

"We  are  at  the  end  of  our  tether,  Pullanius  and  his  gang 
will  break  off  negotiations  tomorrow  if  I  can't  get  hold  of 
Salinator.  I  have  no  hope  of  his  arrival,  he  may  have  not  yet 


488  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

sailed  from  Carthage;  he  may  have  changed  his  mind  about 
coming  at  all.  I  am  not  willing  to  lose  so  brilliant  a  chance. 
I  have  thought  of  just  what  to  do. 

"You  would  look  like  a  Roman  if  you  had  your  beard 
trimmed  and  your  hair  cut  and  all  that  powder  and  paint 
and  rouge  washed  off  your  face :  I  took  you  for  a  full-blooded 
Roman  when  I  first  set  eyes  on  you.  What  is  more  you  would 
look  so  utterly  unlike  what  you  look  like  in  your  fantastic 
fripperies  that  no  one  would  even  suspect  you  of  being  the 
same  man.  Anyhow,  Pullanius  and  his  crowd  have  never 
set  eyes  on  you,  not  one  of  them. 

"All  you  have  to  do  is  to  have  your  beard  cut  to  about  the 
fashionable  length  and  your  hair  trimmed  to  conform  sim- 
ilarly with  current  fashions  for  Roman  noblemen  and  get 
into  full-dress  shoes,  a  nobleman's  tunic  and  toga,  and  you'll 
pass  anywhere  for  a  genuine,  free-born,  full-blooded  Roman. 

"I'll  take  you  to  Pullanius  tomorrow  and  introduce  you  a? 
Salsonius  Salinator.  Pll  coach  you  carefully  as  to  how  to 
behave  and  what  to  say.  You  are  clever  enough  to  assume 
the  natural  Roman  demeanor  to  a  nicety:  also  to  rise  to  any 
unexpected  situations  and  act  and  talk  precisely  as  would 
Salinator  himself. 

"It  will  be  sharp  practice,  in  a  sense.  But  I  know  Sal- 
inator would  say  all  I  want  him  to  say,  all  Pullanius  requires 
him  to  say,  and  more,  if  he  were  actually  here.  He  is  as 
keen  on  closing  ohis  contract  as  I  am.  So  I  am  not  asking 
you  to  be  a  party  to  an  actual  fraud.  You  will  only  be 
bringing  about  what  would  come  about  without  you  if  some- 
thing unforeseen  nad  not  prevented  Salinator  from  getting 
here  in  time." 

Now  I  had  often  differed  with  Falco,  argued  with  him, 
opposed  him,  refused  requests  of  his,  and  he  had  acquiesced 
and  had  acted  as  if  I  were  not  his  property,  but  a  free  man 
and  his  complete  social  equal.  But  this  was  a.  situation  wholly 
different  from  any  I  had  encountered  before.  When  it  came 
to  gem-collecting  or  to  anything  which  gave  him  or  would 
give  him  or  was  expected  to  yield  him  surplus  cash  for  buy- 
ing more  gems  for  his  collection,  Falco  was  a  monomaniac. 


IMPOSTURE  489 

I  dared  not  refuse,  or  oppose  him  or  argue  or  show  any  hesi- 
tation. A  master  can  change  in  a  twinkling  from  an  indul- 
gent friend  to  an  infuriated  despot.  In  spite  of  the  laws 
passed  by  Hadrian  and  his  successors  limiting  the  authority 
of  masters  over  their  slaves  and  giving  slaves  certain  rights 
before  magistrates,  in  practice  an  angry  master  can  go  to 
any  length  to  coerce  a  recalcitrant  slave.  I  saw  not  only 
privations,  discomforts,  hunger,  confinement  and  chains 
threatening  me,  but  scourging  and  torture. 

I  acquiesced. 

Now  I  am  not  going  into  any  details  as  to  what  I  did  and 
said  to  induce  Pullanius  and  his  associates  to  execute  the 
desired  contract.  I  acted  the  part  of  Salinator  to  perfection 
and  my  imposture  succeeded  completely. 

But  the  negotiations  dragged,  for  all  that,  and  I  had  to 
impersonate  Salsonius  Salinator  not  only  before  Pullanius 
and  his  partners  but  generally  all  over  Rome :  had  to  submit 
to  being  shown  the  sights  in  my  character  of  a  provincial 
magnate  in  Eome  for  the  first  time;  had  to  allow  myself  to 
be  dragged  to  morning  receptions  of  senators  and  wealthy 
noblemen  and  introduced  to  them;  had  to  accept  invitations 
to  dinners  given  by  noblemen  and  senators ;  even  had  to  attend 
a  public  morning  reception  in  the  Audience  Hall  of  the 
Palace.  That  I  escaped  undetected  was  more  than  miracu- 
lous; I  could  not  believe  it  myself.  But  I  did  escape. 

I  escaped  unsuspected  the  ordeal  of  being  haled  to  a  morn- 
ing reception  of  Vedius  Vedianus  and  presented  to  him  as 
Salsonius  Salinator  of  Carthage,  Nepte  and  Putea.  I  should 
have  been  lost  had  he  had  at  his  elbow  to  jog  his  memory 
if  he  forgot  a  visitor's  name  the  slave  he  had  had  in  that 
capacity  seven  years  before,  since  that  alert  nomenclator  would 
have  recognized  me  at  once.  But  he  had  died  of  the  plague 
and  his  successor  had  never  set  eyes  on  me.  Vedius  himself 
would  certainly  have  known  me  for  my  true  self  but  for  his 
inveterate  selfishness,  and  self-absorption  and  his  incapacity 
for  being  diverted  from  whatever  thought  or  idea  happened 
to  be  uppermost  in  his  narrow  mind.  He  was,  for  some  rea- 
son, eager  to  be  done  with  his  reception  and  had  no  eyea 


490  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

for  any  visitors  except  those  from  whom  he  expected  imme- 
diate and  positive  advantage  to  himself.  I  escaped,  but  I 
went  out  sweating  and  limp  with  excitement. 

I  was  even  more  faint  and  weak  after  having  to  attend  a 
Palace  levee.  Fortunately  Commodus  had  wearied  of  his 
father's  methods  of  holding  receptions  and  had  reverted  to 
the  regulations  in  vogue  under  Trajan  and  Hadrian,  accord- 
ing to  which  only  such  senators  as  were  summoned  approached 
the  throne  and  were  personally  greeted  by  the  Prince;  the 
rest  of  the  senators  and  all  the  lesser  noblemen  merely  passed 
before  the  Emperor  as  he  stood  in  front  of  the  throne,  pass- 
ing four  abreast  along  the  main  pavement  at  the  foot  of  the 
steps  of  the  dais  and  saluting  him  as  they  passed.  Amid  this 
crush  of  mediocrities  I  passed  unnoticed,  unremarked,  un- 
scathed. 

But  I  marvelled  at  my  luck,  for  I  knew  many  eyes  of 
secret-service  experts  scanned  that  slow-moving  column  of 
togaed  noblemen  and  such  adepts  have  a  marvellous  memory 
for  the  shape  of  an  ear,  a  nose,  a  chin,  or  any  such  feature. 
After  my  hair  and  beard  had  been  trimmed  to  suit  Falco's 
notions  and  my  face  was  innocent  of  powder,  rouge  and  paint 
and  I  was  habited  in  a  tunic  and  toga  with  stripes  of  the 
width  belonging  to  Salinator's  rank  and  dress-boots  of  the 
cut  and  color  proper  for  him  I  conned  my  reflection  in  the 
mirror  in  my  dressing-room  and  was  certain  that  anyone 
who  had  known  me  as  myself  must  recognize  me  at  first 
glance. 

My  two  worst  ordeals  came  when  I  went  out  with  Falco 
to  my  second  and  fourth  formal  dinner  in  Rome  in  my  charac- 
ter of  provincial  magnate.  I  went  with  him,,  altogether, 
to  eight  different  dinners  at  the  houses  of  capitalists  asso- 
ciated with  or  supposed  to  have  influence  with  Pullanius. 
Not  once,  in  any  of  these  eight  perilous  expeditions,  did  it 
occur  to  Falco  to  inform  me  beforehand  where  I  was  to  dine. 
And  I  thought  it  best  not  to  ask  him,  since  I  reflected  that 
his  complete  ignorance  of  my  past  was  an  important  factor 
in  my  chances  of  continued  concealment  and  safety;  and 


IMPOSTURE  491 

since  I  felt  that  some  word,  tone  or  look  of  mine  might  put 
him  on  the  road  to  suspecting  the  truth  about  me.  There- 
fore I  set  out  to  each  of  these  eight  dinners  totally  ignorant 
of  our  destination. 

The  first  time  I  knew  I  was  to  dine  with  Appellasius  Clav- 
viger,  a  Syrian  capitalist  who  had  been  in  Eome  not  much 
longer  than  Falco  himself.  Judge  of  my  feelings  when,  in 
the  mellow  light  which  bathes  Rome  just  after  the  sun  has 
set  from  a  clear  sky  and  before  day  has  begun  to  fade,  I 
perceived  that  my  litter-bearers,  following  Falcons,  were  turn- 
ing into  the  street  where  I  had  lived  before  my  ruin !  Imagine 
my  sensations  when  we  halted  before  the  palatial  dwelling 
which  had  been  my  uncle's  abode  and  mine ! 

I  was  even  more  perturbed  and  overwhelmed  by  my  emo- 
tions when  on  entering  behind  Falco  I  found  nothing  changed, 
scarcely  anything  altered  from  what  had  been  there  on  the 
fatal  morning  on  which,  without  any  premonition  of  disaster, 
I  had  set  off  to  the  Palace  levee  and  had,  on  my  way,  been 
dared  by  Vedia's  intervention  and  letter.  The  appointments 
of  the  vestibule,  of  the  porter's  lodge,  were  as  I  had  known 
them  in  my  uncle's  lifetime.  So  were  the  furnishings  of  the 
atrium  and  tablinum.  Scarcely  a  statue  had  been  added  or 
so  much  as  moved,  most  of  the  pictures  being  where  my 
uncle  had  had  them  hung. 

Appellasius,  a  fat,  jovial,  jolly  man,  did  not  see  my  con- 
fusion. We  were  the  last  guests  to  arrive  and  he  was  hungry. 
We  passed  at  once  into  the  triclinium.  There  also  the  wall- 
decorations  were  precisely  as  I  had  last  seen  them;  but  the 
square  table  and  three  square  sofas  had  vanished  and,  in 
their  place,  was  a  new  C-shaped  sofa  and  a  circular  table 
covered  with  a  magnificent  embroidered  cloth. 

In  the  course  of  the  dinner,  the  company,  as  was  natural 
with  vulgarians  newly  enriched,  fell  to  talking  of  their  resi- 
dences, of  their  size,  convenience,  and  cost.  I  took  the  oppor- 
tunity to  compliment  Appellasius  on  his  abode  and,  as  he 
warmed  to  the  subject,  I  inquired  whether  he  had  inherited 
it  or  bought  it. 


492  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"Neither/5  said  he.  "I  have  merely  leased  it,  and  leased 
it  furnished.  It  belongs  to  the  fiscus;  it  was  confiscated 
some  years  ago  when  its  owner  was  proscribed  for  joining  in 
one  of  the  conspiracies  against  the  Emperor.  It  is  a  pearl. 
I  am  told  that  the  father  of  its  last  owner  was  an  art  con- 
noisseur. Anyhow  I  could  not  improve  on  its  decorations 
or  furnishings.  I  have  made  few  changes,  chiefly  installing 
this  up-to-date  dining-outfit.  The  fittings  of  this  room  were 
all  of  one  hundred  years  old,  very  fine  in  material  and  orna- 
mentation, but  unbearably  inconvenient." 

I  had  learned  all  I  hoped  for  or  dared  attempt,  and  for 
the  rest  of  the  entertainment  I  kept  to  subjects  as  far  as 
possible  from  anything  likely  to  compromise  me. 

My  second  and  far  my  severest  ordeal  was  when  a  few 
evenings  later  I  was  dazed  to  realize  that  my  litter,  behind 
Falco's,  was  halting  before  the  well-known  residence  of  that 
booby,  Faltonius  Bambilio.  But  I  was  not  afraid  of  him. 
I  rated  him  such  a  dolt,  such  an  ass,  that  even  if  he  exclaimed 
that  I  was  the  image  of  Andivius  Hedulio  I  had  no  doubt 
I  could  convince  him  that  I  was  what  I  pretended  to  be  and 
could  even  expunge  from  his  mind  any  recollections  of  his 
having  noticed  such  a  striking  resemblance.  In  fact  he  did 
not  make  any  remark  on  my  appearance  or  seem  to  have  any 
inkling  that  he  had  ever  seen  me  before,  but  accepted  me  as 
an  interesting  stranger. 

I  dreaded  what  guests  he  might  have  and  the  actuality 
surpassed  my  capacities  to  forecast  possibilities. 

I  found  the  middle  sofa  at  his  table,  for  he  adhered  to 
the  old-fashioned  furnishings  for  a  triclinium,  occupied  by 
his  wife,  Nemestronia  and  Vedia ! 

Vedia,  after,  one  tense  moment  of  incredulous  numb  star- 
ing, regained  her  composure. 

Evidently  she  had  not  confided  in  anyone  the  fact  of  my 
survival  and  existence.  For,  if  she  had,  she  would  have 
taken  dear  old  Nemestronia  into  her  confidence,  since  she 
was  as  able  to  keep  a  secret  as  any  woman  who  ever  lived  and 
had  loved  me  as  if  I  had  been  her  own  and  only  grandson. 


IMPOSTURE  493 

For  Nemestronia  manifestly  had  believed  me  dead.  At  sight 
of  me  she  was  as  thunderstruck  as  if  she  had  seen  an  in- 
dubitable specter.  She  was  smitten  dumb  and  rigid  and  her 
discomposure  was  remarked  by  all  present.  But  she  recov- 
ered herself  in  time,  passed  off  her  agitation  as  having  been 
due  to  one  of  her  sudden  attacks  of  pain  in  the  chest.  After 
that  she  did  as  much  as  Vedia  to  dispel  any  tendency  to  sus- 
picions which  she  might  have  aroused.  She  was  plainly,  to 
my  eyes,  overjoyed  at  the  sight  of  me  in  the  flesh. 

I  have  branded  on  my  memory  for  life  the  picture  I  saw 
as  I  entered  the  triclinium.  Its  wall  decorations  expressed 
old  Bambilio's  enthusiasm  for  Alexandrian  art  and  literature. 
The  ceiling  was  adorned  with  a  copy  of  Apellides'  Dance  of 
the  Loves ;  and  the  walls  were  decorated  with  copies  of  equally 
celebrated  paintings  by  masters  of  similar  fame.  The  wall 
niches  were  filled  with  statues  of  the  Alexandrian  poets,  the 
two  opposite  the  entrance  door  with  those  of  Euphorion  and 
Philetas,  the  brilliant  hues  of  the  paint  on  them  depicting 
garments  as  gaudy  as  I  myself  had  been  wearing  a  few  days 
before.  From  the  pink  faces  of  the  bedizened  poets  their 
jeweled  eyes  sparkled  as  if  they  were  chuckling  at  the  situa- 
tion. Under  the  mellow  light  shed  by  the  numerous  hang- 
ing lamps,  against  the  intricate  particolored  patterns  of  the 
wall  between  the  statue-niches,  I  saw  the  vacuous  baby  face 
of  Asellia,  Bambilio's  pretty  doll  of  a  wife,  between  Vedia's 
countenance  cleverly  assuming  a  normal  social  expression 
after  her  brief  glare  at  me,  and  ISTemestronia's  mask  of  horror, 
accentuated  by  the  agony  of  the  gripping  spasm  which  throt- 
tled her,  for  the  pain  in  her  chest  was  induced  by  anything 
which  startled  her,  and  was  not  assumed. 

Once  we  were  composed  on  the  sofas  the  dinner  passed  off 
almost  comfortably.  For  Nemestronia  played  her  part  in 
my  behalf  fully  as  well  as  did  Vedia,  who  conversed  with  me 
easily,  her  demeanor  precisely  as  if  I  had  been  Salsonius 
Salinator,  a  stranger  whom  she  had  just  met,  our  talk  mostly 
about  Carthage,  salt-works,  the  lagoons  of  the  edge  of  the 
desert,  date  palms,  local  fruits,  gazelles  and  such  like  topics, 


494  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Nemesironia  seconding  her  with  questions  about  temple  libra- 
ries, the  cult  of  Isis  in  Hippo,  and  such  matters.  I  became 
almost  gay,  I  was  enjoying  myself. 

The  enjoyment,  toward  the  close  of  the  banquet,  was 
marred  by  Bambilio,  who,  inevitably,  had  told  Falco  of  his 
capture  by  brigands  on  the  Flaminian  Highway  and,  after 
his  tale  was  told  at  great  length,  insisted  on  Vedia  telling 
hers. 

Worst  of  all,  when  she  came  to  her  night  in  her  travelling 
carriage,  alone  (as  of  course  all  supposed)  and  surrounded 
by  escaped  beasts,  hyenas,  leopards,  panthers,  tigers  and 
lions,  Bambilio  must  needs  remark: 

"Fll  wager  you  wished  that  the  ghost  of  your  old  lover, 
Hedulio,  had  come  to  your  assistance.  He  could  wrestle 
with  leopards;  perhaps  even  his  ghost  might  be  able  to  con- 
trol wild  beasts." 

"Perhaps,"  Vedia  rejoined,  unruffled,  "maybe  he  was  there 
to  help  me  and  maybe  that  was  why  I  never  felt  really  afraid 
that  any  beast  would  burst  into  my  coach  and  seize  me, 
though  several  snuffed  at  its  panels  and  I  could  see  them 
plain  in  the  clear  moonlight.  Perhaps,  in  spirit,  he  was  close 
to  me  to  keep  off  the  ravenous  beasts  and  to  strengthen  my 
heart." 

After  she  also  had  ended  her  story  Bambilio  eyed  me : 

"Did  you  ever  hear  a  story  excel  hers  and  mine,  SaLor 
nius?"  he  queried. 

"Never,"  I  admitted,  my  gaze  full  on  his. 

The  booby  showed  not  a  gleam  of  suspicion ! 

Inwardly  I  could  not  but  remark  that  whereas  I  despised 
and  loathed  Bambilio  for  his  pomposity  and  self-esteem,  he 
made  and  kept  friends.  Plainly  both  Nemestronia  and  Vedia 
liked  him,  esteemed  him  and  respected  him. 

After  we  left,  I  felt  positively  exhilarated  at  having  had  an 
evening  in  Vedia's  company  and  having  talked  with  her.  Her 
escort,  fortunately  for  me,  had  not  been  Flavius  Clemens 
but  young  Duillius  Silanus,  son  of  the  consul,  who  had 
never  met  me  before. 


PALUS  THE  INCOMPARABLE  495 

CHAPTEE  XXXIV 

PALUS  THE  INCOMPARABLE 

WITHIN  a  very  few  days  after  my  encounter  with  Vedia 
at  Bambilio's  dinner  Falco  and  I  had  just  ascended 
the  stair  of  his  residence  after  returning  from  a  conference 
with  Pullanius  and  his  partners  at  which  both  sides  had 
finally  agreed  on  terms  to  the  last  detail  and  the  contracts 
had  been  drawn  up,  executed,  signed  and  sealed.  He  said: 

"Phorbas,  I  am  pleased  with  you.  Such  imposture  as  I 
have  enticed  you  into  cannot  have  been  palatable  to  a  man  of 
your  character.  You  have  manifestly  disrelished  it,  but  you 
have  valiantly  stomached  it  for  my  sake.  Actually  you  may 
be  comforted,  for  it  has  not  really  been  dishonest  or  dis- 
honorable; you  have  only  acted  and  spoken  vicariously  for 
Salinator:  to  a  certainty  he  would  have  done  and  said  just 
what  you  have,  had  he  been  present  in  person. 

"You  are  a  wonderful  actor.  No  Greek  or  part  Greek  or 
half  Greek  or  quarter  Greek  or  thirty-second  Greek  I  ever 
knew  or  heard  of,  clever  as  Greeks  are  at  histrionics,  could 
so  perfectly  act  a  Eoman  noble  in  every  detail  of  demeanor, 
manner  and  word:  down  to  the  most  trifling  expression  of 
every  prejudice  inherent  in  a  Eoman  born.  I  admire  you. 

"Also  I  thank  you. 

"And  I  am  as  relieved  as  you  will  be  to  be  able  to  tell 
you  that  your  masquerade  is  at  an  end,  successful  and  unsus- 
pected. 

"Now  the  important  thing  is  for  Salsonius  Salinator  to 
vanish  from  Eome  at  once. 

"I  suppose  you  have  the  wigs  and  false-beards  you  said 
you  would  buy  or  have  made?" 

"They  are  in  my  dressing-room/'  I  replied. 

"Then,"  he  continued,  "have  yourself  waked  early,  have 
your  valet  paint  you  and  powder  you  and  rouge  you  and  fit 


496  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

you  out  with  a  wig  like  the  head  of  hair  you  had  before  I 
made  you  impersonate  Salinator,  and  with  a  false  beard  no 
one  will  suspect;  have  him  rig  you  up  in  your  favorite  attire 
and  load  you  with  jewelry,  then  set  off  in  my  travelling- 
carriage  for  Baise.  Be  out  of  Eome  by  sunrise.  Travel 
straight  to  Baias  as  rapidly  as  you  find  practicable  without 
fatiguing  yourself.  At  Baia3  you  will  have  the  Villa  and 
servants  all  to  yourself.  Stay  there  until  you  have  grown 
your  hair  and  beard  as  it  was  before  your  masquerade.  Then 
return  to  Eome  as  Phorbas." 

He  paused,  gazed  at  me  and  added: 

"And  I  mean  to  make  a  new  will.  Besides  leaving  you 
your  freedom  and  the  legacy  specified  in  my  last  will  I  mean 
to  leave  you  my  gem-collection  and  a  full  fourth  of  all  my 
other  estate.  You  deserve  a  lavish  reward  and  I  believe  I 
love  you  better  than  any  living  human  being." 

I  thanked  him  with  my  best  imitation  of  the  manner  of  a 
Greek,  but  with  genuine  feeling  and  from  a  full  heart. 

Actually  I  was  glad  to  get  out  of  Rome,  glad  to  linger  at 
Baise.  I  made  my  time  as  long  as  I  could  and  resisted  sev- 
eral importunities  from  Falco  before  I  finally  returned  to 
the  city  more  than  a  year  after  I  had  left  it.  Thus  I  was 
out  of  Rome  during  the  great  fire,  which  destroyed,  along 
with  the  Temple  and  Altar  of  Peace,  the  Temples  of  the 
Divine  Julius  and  the  Divine  Augustus,  the  Temple  of  Vesta, 
the  Atrium  of  Vesta  and  most  of  the  other  buildings  about 
the  great  Forum,  also  the  Porticus  Margaritaria  and  the  shop 
of  Orontides.  Strangely  enough,  when,  at  Baiae,  I  read 
letters  from  Falco,  Tanno  and  Agathemer  describing  the 
devastation,  my  mind  dwelt  more  on  the  annihilation  of  the 
shop  where  I  had  encountered  Vedia  than  on  the  destruction 
of  the  Palace  records  and  most  of  the  public  records,  or  of 
the  many  revered  temples  which  had  vanished  in  the  flames. 

When  I  returned  to  Rome  the  ruins  were  already  largely 
cleared,  and  rebuilding,  especially  of  the  Temple  of  Vesta, 
was  vigorously  under  way. 

In  Falco's  household  and  manner  of  life  I  found  few 
changes,  except  that  Falco,  really  in  excellent  health,  had 


PALUS  THE  INCOMPARABLE  497 

become  concerned  about  his  trifling  ailments,  and,  after  try- 
ing one  and  another  physician,  had  enrolled  himself  among 
the  patients  of  the  most  distinguished  exponent  of  the 
healing  arts.  Galen  therefore,  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  my 
home  and  I  saw  him  not  infrequently.  When  I  had  some 
minor  discomfort,  Falco,  always  pampering  me,  called  Galen 
in  and  enrolled  me  also  among  his  charges. 

After  my  return  to  the  City  the  chief  topic  of  conversation 
among  persons  of  all  grades  of  society  and  the  pivot,  so  to 
speak,  on  which  the  spectacles  of  the  amphitheater  revolved 
was  Palus  the  Gladiator. 

I  may  set  down  here  that  I,  personally,  am  now,  as  I  was 
when  I  saw  him  appear  as  a  charioteer  for  the  last  time, 
certain  that  Palus  was  Commodus  in  person.  And  I  set  this 
down  as  a  fact.  It  will  be  seen  later  that  I  had  more  oppor- 
tunity than  any  man  in  Eome,  outside  of  the  Palace,  to  know 
the  facts. 

Many  people  then  believed  and  not  a  few  still  maintain 
that  Palus  was  merely  a  crony  of  Commodus.  Some  whis- 
pered that  he  was  a  half-brother  of  Commodus,  a  son  of 
Faustina  and  a  favorite  gladiator,  brought  up  by  the  con- 
nivance of  her  too-indulgent  husband;  which  wild  tale  suits 
neither  with  Faustina's  actual  deportment,  as  contrasted 
with  the  lies  told  of  her  by  her  detractors,  nor  with  the 
character  of  Aurelius.  Others  even  hinted  that  Palus  was 
a  half-brother  of  Commodus  on  the  other  side,  off-spring 
of  Aurelius  and  a  concubine.  This  invention  consorts  still 
worse  with  the  nature  of  Aurelius,  who  was  one  of  the  most 
uxorious  of  men  and  by  nature  monogamic  and  austere, 
almost  ascetic.  Some  contented  themselves  with  conjectur- 
ing that  Palus  accidentally  resembled  Commodus,  which  was 
not  so  far  from  the  truth. 

For  I  knew  Ducconius  Furfur  from  our  boyhood  and  I 
solemnly  assert  that  Palus  was  Commodus  and  that,  when- 
ever Palus  appeared  in  the  circus  and,  later,  in  the  amphi- 
theater, while  the  Imperial  Pavilion  was  filled  by  the  Imperial 
retinue,  with  the  throne  occupied  apparently  by  the  Emperor, 
the  throne  was  occupied  by  a  dummy  emperor,  Ducconius 


498  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Furfur,  in  the  Imperial  attire,  and  Commodus  was  in  the 
arena  as  Palus.  Anyone  who  chooses  may,  from  this  pro- 
nouncement, set  me  down  as  a  credulous  ninny,  if  it  suits 
his  notions. 

When  Palus  drove  a  chariot  in  the  circus  he  never  ap- 
peared with  his  face  fully  exposed,  but  invariably  wore  over 
its  upper  portion  the  half-mask  of  gauze,  which  is  designed 
to  protect  a  charioteer's  eyes  from  dust  and  flying  grains 
of  sand.  Similarly,  when  Palus  entered  the  arena  as  a 
gladiator  he  never  fought  in  any  of  those  equipments  in 
which  gladiators  appear  bareheaded  or  with  faces  exposed: 
as  a  retmrius,  for  instance.  He  always  fought  as  a  secutof 
or  murmillo,  or  in  the  armor  proper  to  a  Samiiite,  Thracian, 
or  heavy-armed  Greek  or  Gaul;  all  of  which  equipments  in* 
elude  a  heavy  helmet  with  a  vizor.  Palus  always  fought  with 
his  vizor  down. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  plain  inference  from  these  facts 
corroborates  my  opinions  concerning  Palus:  certainly  it 
strengthens  my  belief  in  my  views.  And  these  facts  were 
and  are  known  to  be  facts  by  all  who,  as  spectators  in  the 
circus  or  in  the  amphitheater,  beheld  Palus  as  charioteer  or 
as  gladiator. 

As  a  gladiator  he  was  more  than  marvellous,  he  was  mirac- 
ulous. I  was  present  at  all  his  public  appearances  from 
the  time  of  my  return  from  Baiae.  Also  I  had  seen  him 
closer,  from  the  senatorial  boxes  in  the  amphitheater,  three 
several  times  during  my  impersonation  of  Salsonius  Salinator. 
Moreover  I  had  seen  him  as  a  gladiator  not  a  few  times  before 
that,  since  Falco,  soon  after  we  came  to  Rome  from  Africa, 
because  of  his  affection  for  me  and  his  tendency  to  indulge 
me  in  every  imaginable  way  and  to  arrange  for  me  every  con- 
ceivable pleasure,  had  contrived  to  use  the  influence  of  some 
new-found  friends  to  make  possible  my  presence  at  shows 
in  the  Colosseum,  and  that  in  as  good  a  seat  as  was  acces- 
sible to  any  free-born  Eoman  not  a  noble  or  senator. 

The  very  first  time  I  saw  Palus  in  the  arena  I  felt  sure 
he  was  Commodus  in  person,  for  he  had  to  a  marvel  every 
one  of  his  characteristics  of  height,  build,  outline,  agility, 


PALUS  THE  INCOMPARABLE  499 

grace,  quickness  and  deftness  and  all  his  tricks  of  attitude 
and  movement.  The  two  were  too  identical  to  be  anything 
except  the  very  same  man. 

It  will  occur  to  any  reader  of  these  memoirs  that  Palus 
was  a  left-handed  fighter,  and  that  Commodus  not  only 
fought  left-handed,  but  wrote,  by  preference,  with  his  left 
hand  and  with  it  more  easily,  rapidly  and  legibly  than  with 
his  right.  But  I  do  not  lay  much  stress  on  this  for  about 
one  gladiator  in  fifty  fights  left-handed,  so  that  the  fact  that 
Palus  was  left-handed,  while  it  accords  with  my  views,  does 
not,  in  my  opinion,  help  to  prove  them. 

What,  to  my  mind,  much  more  tends  to  confirm  my  views, 
is  the  well-known  fact  that  Palus  was  always  equipped  with 
armor  and  weapons  more  magnificent  and  more  expensive 
than  any  ever  seen  on  other  gladiators.  Everything  he  used 
or  wore  was  of  gold  or  heavily  gilt ;  even  his  spear  heads  and 
sword  blades  were  brilliantly  gilded;  so  were  his  helmeis, 
shields,  bucklers,  corselets,  breastplates,  the  scales  of  his 
kilt-straps  when  he  fought  as  a  Greek,  and  his  greaves,  whether 
of  Greek  pattern  or  of  some  other  fashion.  If  he  appeared 
in  an  armament  calling  for  arm-rings,  leg-rings,  or  leg- 
wrappings,  these  were  always  also  heavily  gilt.  So  was  his 
footgear,  whether  he  wore  thigh-boots,  full-boots,  half-boots, 
soldiers'  brogues,  half-sandals  or  sandals.  His  shoulder- 
guards  (called  "wigs"  in  the  slang  of  the  prize-ring)  were, 
apparently,  of  pure  cloth  of  gold,  which  also  appeared  to 
be  the  material  of  his  aprons  when  his  accoutrements  did  not 
include  a  kilt. 

Now  it  may  be  said  that  this  merely  indicates  that  his 
equipment  was  the  most  extravagant  instance  of  the  manner 
in  which  opulent  enthusiasts  lavished  their  cash  on  the  out- 
fitting of  their  favorites  in  the  arena,  To  me  it  seems  too 
prodigal  for  the  profusion  of  any  or  all  of  such  spendthrifts : 
it  appears  to  me  more  like  the  self-indulgence  of  the  vain- 
glorious master  of  the  world.  Palus  often  wore  a  helmet 
so  bejeweled  that  its  cost  would  have  overtaxed  the  wealth 
of  Didius  Julianus. 

I  consider  that  my  opinions  are  corroborated  by  the  well- 


500  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

known  fact  that  whenever  Pains  appeared  as  a  gladiator  in 
the  amphitheater,  Galen  was  present  in  the  arena  as  chief  of 
the  surgeons  always  at  hand  to  dress  the  wounds  of  victors 
or  of  vanquished  men  who  had  won  the  approbation  or  favor 
of  the  spectators  or  of  the  Imperial  party.  True,  Galen  was 
often  there  when  Palus  was  not  in  the  arena,  for  he  was 
always  on  the  watch  for  anatomical  knowledge  to  be  had  from 
observation  of  dying  men  badly  wounded.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  while  he  was  often  in  the  arena  when  Palus  was  not 
there,  he  was  never  absent  when  Palus  was  fighting. 

Similarly,  after  Aemilius  Laetus  was  appointed  Prefect 
of  the  Palace,  he  was  always  present  in  person  in  the  arena 
whenever  Palus  appeared  in  it.  This,  too,  makes  for  my 
contentions. 

The  first  fight  in  which  I  saw  Palus  revealed  to  me,  and 
brought  home  to  me  with  great  force,  the  reason  for  his 
nickname,  its  origin  and  its  astonishing  appropriateness. 
The  word  "palus"  has  a  number  of  very  different  meanings : 
manifestly  its  fitness  as  a  pet  name  for  the  most  perfect 
swordsman  ever  seen  in  any  arena  came  from  its  use  to  denote 
the  paling  of  a  palisade,  or  any  stake  or  post.  Palus,  in  a 
fight,  always  appeared  to  stand  still:  metaphorically  he 
might  be  said  to  seem  as  immobile  as  the  post  upon  which 
beginners  in  the  gladiatorial  art  practice  their  first  attempts 
at  strokes,  cuts,  thrusts  and  lunges.  So  little  did  he  impress 
beholders  as  mobile,  so  emphatically  did  he  impress  them 
as  stationary,  that  he  might  almost  as  well  have  been  an 
upright  stake,  planted  permanently  deep  in  the  sand. 

I  first  saw  him  fight  as  a  secutor,  matched  against  a 
retiarius.  This  kind  of  combat  is,  surely,  the  most  popular 
of  all  the  many  varieties  of  gladiatorial  fights;  and  justly, 
for  such  fights  are  by  far  the  most  exciting  to  watch  and  their 
incidents  perpetually  varied,  novel  and  unpredictable.  It 
is  exciting  because  the  retiarius,  nude  except  for  one  small 
shoulder-guard  and  a  scanty  apron,  appears  to  have  no  chance 
whatever  against  the  secutor  with  his  big  vizored  helmet, 
his  complete  body-armor,  his  kilt  of  lapped  leather  straps 
plated  with  polished  metal  scales,  his  greaves  or  leg-rings 


PALUS  THE  INCOMPARABLE  501 

or  boots  and  his  full-length,  curved  shield  and  Spanish 
sword.  The  secutor,  always  the  bigger  man  and  fully  armed 
and  armored,  appears  invincible  against  the  little  manikin 
of  a  retiarius  skipping  about  bareheaded  and  almost  naked 
and  armed  only  with  his  trident,  a  fisherman's  three-tined 
spear,  with  a  light  handle  and  short  prongs,  his  little  dagger 
and  his  cord  net,  which,  when  spread,  is  indeed  large  enough 
to  entangle  any  man,  but  which  he  carries  crumpled  up  to  an 
inconspicuous  bunch  of  rope  no  bigger  than  his  head. 

Yet  the  fact  is  the  reverse  of  the  appearance.  No  one  not 
reckless  or  drunk  ever  bet  even  money  on  an  ordinary  secutor. 
The  odds  on  the  retiarius  are  customarily  between  five  to 
three  and  two  to  one.  And  most  secutor s  manifestly  feel 
their  disadvantage.  As  the  two  men  face  each  other  and  the 
lanista  gives  the  signal  anyone  can  see,  usually,  that  the 
retiarius  is  confident  of  victory  and  the  secutor  wary  and 
cautious  or  even  afraid.  Dreading  the  certain  cast  of  the 
almost  unescapable  net,  the  secutor  keeps  always  on  the 
move,  and  continually  alters  the  direction  and  speed  and 
manner  of  his  movement,  taking  one  short  step  and  two 
long,  then  three  short  and  one  long,  breaking  into  a  dog- 
trot, slowing  to  a  snail's-pace,  leaping,  twisting,  curving, 
zigzagging,  ducking  and  in  every  way  attempting  to  make 
it  impossible  for  the  retiarius  to  foretell  from  the  movement 
he  watches  what  the  next  movement  will  be. 

Palus  behaved  unlike  any  other  secutor  ever  seen  in  the 
arena.  He  availed  himself  of  none  of  the  usual  devices, 
which  lanistce  taught  with  such  care,  in  the  invention  of 
which  they  gloried  and  in  which  they  drilled  their  pupils 
unceasingly.  He  merely  stood  still  and  watched  his  adver- 
sary. The  cunning  cast  of  the  deadly  net  he  avoided  by  a 
very  slight  movement  of  his  head  or  body  or  both.  No 
retiarius  ever  netted  him,  yet  the  net  seldom  missed  him 
more  than  half  a  hand's  breadth.  When  the  disappointed 
retiarius  skipped  back  to  the  length  of  his  net-cord  and 
retrieved  his  net  by  means  of  it,  Palus  let  him  gather  it  up, 
never  dashed  at  him,  but  merely  stepped  sedately  towardi 
him.  If  the  retiarius  ran  away,  Palus  followed,  but  never 


502  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

in  haste,  always  at  a  slow,  even  walk.  No  matter  how  often 
his  adversary  cast  his  net  at  him,  Palus  never  altered  his 
demeanor.  The  upshot  was  always  the  same.  The  spectators 
began  to  jeer  at  the  baffled  retiarius,  he  became  flustered,  he 
ventured  a  bit  too  near  his  immobile  opponent,  Palus  made 
an  almost  imperceptible  movement  and  the  retiarius  fell, 
mortally  wounded. 

I  was  never  close  enough  to  Palus  to  see  clearly  the  details 
of  his  lunges,  thrusts  and  strokes.  I  saw  him  best  when  I 
was  a  spectator  in  the  Colosseum  while  impersonating  Sal- 
sonius  Salinator,  for  in  my  guise  as  colonial  magnate  I  sat 
well  forward.  Even  then  I  was  not  close  enough  to  him  to 
descry  the  finer  points  of  his  incomparable  swordsmanship. 
Yet  what  I  saw  makes  me  regard  as  fairly  adequate  the  current 
praises  of  him  emanating  from  those  wealthy  enthusiasts 
who  were  reckoned  the  best  judges  of  such  matters.  By 
the  reports  I  heard  they  said  that  Palus  never  cut  a  throat, 
he  merely  nicked  it,  but  the  tiny  nick  invariably  and  accu- 
rately severed  the  carotid  artery,  jugular  vein  or  windpipe. 

I  can  testify,  from  my  own  observation,  to  his  having 
displayed  comparable  skill  in  an  equally  effective  stab  in 
a  different  part  of  his  adversary's  body.  As  is  well  known, 
a  deep  slash  of  the  midthigh,  inside,  causes  death  nearly 
as  quickly  as  a  cut  throat;  if  the  femoral  artery  is  divided 
the  blood  pours  out  of  the  victim  almost  as  from  an  inverted 
pail,  a  horrible  cascade.  Most  of  the  acclaimed  gladiators 
use  often  this  deadly  stroke  against  the  inside  midthigh, 
slashing  it  to  the  bone,  leaving  a  long,  deep,  gaping  wound. 
Palus  never  slashed  an  adversary's  thigh;  in  killing  by  a 
thigh  wound  he  always  delivered  a  lunge  which  left  a  small 
puncture,  but  invariably  also  left  the  femoral  artery  com- 
pletely severed,  so  that  the  life-blood  gushed  out  in  a  jet 
astonishingly  violent,  the  victim  collapsing  and  dying  very 
quickly.  Such  a  parade  requires  altogether  transcendant 
powers  of  accuracy  from  eye  and  hand. 

Besides  fighting  as  a  secutor  against  a  retiarius  Palus  in 
the  same  accoutrements  fought  with  men  similarly  equipped, 


PALUS  THE  INCOMPARABLE  503 

or  accoutred  as  Greeks,  Gauls,  Thracians,  Samnites,  or  mur- 
millos;  also  he  appeared  in  the  equipment  of  each  of  these 
sorts  of  gladiators  against  antagonists  equipped  like  himself 
or  in  any  of  the  other  fashions. 

In  all  these  countless  fights  he  was  never  once  wounded 
by  any  adversary  nor  did  he  ever  deliver  a  second  stroke, 
thrust  or  lunge  against  any :  his  defence  was  always  impreg- 
nable, his  attack  always  unerring;  when  he  lunged  his  lunge 
never  missed  and  was  always  fatal,  unless  he  purposely  spared 
a  gallant  foe. 

Besides  the  exhibitions  of  bravado  and  self-confidence  tra- 
ditional with  gladiators,  all  of  which  he  displayed  again 
and  again,  Palus  devised  more  than  one  wholly  original 
with  himself. 

For  instance,  he  would  take  his  stand  in  the  arena  equipped 
as  a  secutor,  the  lanista  would  have  in  charge  not  one  rctia- 
rius,  but  ten,  or  even  a  dozen.  One  would  attack  Palus  and 
when,  after  a  longer  or  shorter  contest,  he  was  killed,  the 
lanista  would,  without  any  respite,  allow  a  second  to  rush  at 
Palus ;  then  a  third ;  and  so  on  till  everyone  had  perished  by 
the  secular's  unerring  sword.  No  other  secutor  ever  killed 
more  than  one  retiarius  without  a  good  rest  between  the  first 
fight  and  the  second.  Palus,  as  was  and  is  well  known, 
killed  more  than  a  thousand  adversaries,  of  whom  more 
than  three  hundred  wore  the  accoutrements  of  a  retiarius. 

Palus  was  even  more  spectacular  as  a  dimachcerus,  so  called 
from  having  two  sabers,  for  a  dimachcerus  is  a  gladiator  ac- 
coutred as  a  Thracian,  but  without  any  shield  and  carrying 
a  naked  saber  in  each  hand.  Such  a  fighter  is  customarily 
matched  against  an  adversary  in  ordinary  Thracian  equip- 
ment. He  has  to  essay  the  unnatural  feat  of  guarding  him- 
eelf  with  one  sword  while  attacking  with  the  other.  Such 
a  feat  is  akin  to  those  of  jugglers  and  acrobats,  for  a  sword 
is  essentially  an  instrument  of  assault  and  cannot,  by  its 
very  nature,  take  the  place  of  a  shield  as  a  protection.  Every- 
body, of  course,  knows  that  showy  and  startling  ruse  said 
to  have  been  invented  by  the  Divine  Julius,  which  consists 


504  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

in  surprising  one's  antagonist  by  parrying  a  stroke  with 
the  sword  instead  of  with  the  shield  and  simultaneously 
using  the  shield  as  a  weapon,  striking  its  upper  rim  against 
the  adversary's  chin.  But  this  can  succeed  only  against  an 
opponent  dull-witted,  unwary,  clumsy  and  slow,  and  then  as 
a  surprise.  A  dimachcerus  has  to  depend  on  parrying  and 
his  antagonist  knows  what  to  expect. 

Palus  was  the  most  perfect  dimachcerus  ever  seen  in  the 
Colosseum.  Without  a  shield  he  fought  and  killed  many 
Thracians,  Greeks,  Gauls,  murmillos,  Samnites  and  secutors. 
He  even,  many  times,  fought  two  Thracians  at  once,  killing 
both  and  coming  off  unscathed.  I  saw  two  of  these  exhibi- 
tions of  insane  self-confidence  and  I  must  say  that  Palus 
made  good  his  reliance  on  his  incredible  skill.  He  pivoted 
about  between  his  adversaries,  giving  them,  apparently,  every 
chance  to  attack  simultaneously,  distract  him  and  kill  him. 
Yet  he  so  managed  that,  even  if  their  thrusts  appeared  si- 
multaneous, there  was  between  them  an  interval,  brief  as  a 
heart-beat,  but  long  enough  for  him  to  dispose  of  one  and 
turn  on  the  other,  or  escape  one  and  pierce  the  other.  I  could 
not  credit  my  own  eyes.  With  my  belief  as  to  the  identity 
of  Palus  I  marvelled  that  a  man  whose  life  was  dominated 
by  the  dread  of  assassination,  who  feared  poison  in  his  wine 
and  food,  who  hedged  himself  about  with  guards  and  then 
feared  the  guards  themselves,  who  distrusted  everybody,  who 
dreaded  every  outing,  who  was  uneasy  even  inside  his  Palace, 
felt  perfectly  at  ease  and  serenely  safe  in  the  arena  with 
no  defence  but  two  sabers,  and  he  between  two  hulking  ruf- 
fians, as  fond  of  life  as  any  men,  and  knowing  that  they  must 
kill  him  or  be  killed  by  him.  In  this  deadly  game  he  felt 
no  qualms,  only  certitude  of  easy  victory. 

The  controversies  over  the  identity  of  Palus  have  produced 
a  whole  literature  of  pamphlets,  some  maintaining  that  he 
was  Commodus,  others  professing  to  prove  that  he  was 
not,  of  which  some  rehearse  every  possible  theory  of  his 
relationship  to  Aurelius  or  Faustina.  Among  these  the  most 
amazing  are  those  which  set  forth  the  view  that  Palus  was 
Commodus,  but  no  skillful  swordsman,  rather  a  brazen  sham, 


PALUS  THE  INCOMPARABLE  505 

killing  ingloriously  helpless  adversaries  who  could  oppose  to 
his  edged  steel  only  swords  of  lath  or  lead. 

This  absurdity  is  in  conflict  with  all  the  facts.  Mani- 
festly the  antagonists  of  Palus  were  as  well  armed  as  he, 
both  for  defence  and  attack. 

And,  what  is  much  more,  the  populace  clamored  for  Palus, 
booed  and  cat-called  if  Palus  did  not  appear  in  the  arena; 
cheered  him  to  the  echo  when  he  did  appear;  yelled  with 
delight  and  appreciation  at  each  exhibition  of  his  prophetic 
intuition  as  to  what  his  adversary  was  about  to  do,  of  his 
preternaturally  perfect  judgment  as  to  what  to  do  himself, 
of  the  instantaneous  execution  of  whatever  movement  he 
purposed,  of  its  complete  success;  and  applauded  him  while 
he  went  off  as  no  other  gladiator  ever  was  applauded.  It 
was  the  popular  demand  for  him  which  made  possible  and 
justified  the  unexampled  fee  paid  Palus  for  each  of  his  ap- 
pearances in  the  arena.  The  managers  of  the  games  were 
obliged  to  include  Palus  in  each  exhibition  or  risk  a  riot  of 
the  indignant  populace. 

Now  no  sham  fighter  could  fool  the  Roman  populace.  A 
make-believe  swordsman,  such  as  the  pamphlets  which  I 
have  cited  allege  Commodus  to  have  been,  might,  if  Emperor, 
have  overawed  the  senators  and  nobles  of  equestrian  rank 
and  compelled  their  unwilling  applause  of  sham  feats.  But 
no  man,  not  even  an  Emperor,  could  coerce  the  Roman 
proletariat  into  applauding  a  fighter  unwtrthy  of  applause. 
Our  populace,  once  seated  to  view  a  show  of  any  kind,  cannot 
be  controlled,  cannot  even  be  swayed.  No  fame  of  any 
charioteer,  beast-fighter  or  gladiator  can  win  from  them  tol- 
erance of  the  smallest  error  of  judgment,  defect  of  action, 
attempt  at  foul  play  or  hint  of  fear:  they  boo  anything  of 
which  they  disapprove  and  not  Jupiter  himself  could  elicit 
from  them  applause  of  anything  except  exhibitions  of  cour- 
age, skill,  artistry  and  quickness  fine  enough  to  rouse  their 
admiration.  They  admired  Palus,  they  adored  him. 

This  is  well  known  to  all  men  and  proves  Palus  a  con- 
summate artist  as  a  gladiator.  Not  only  would  the  popu- 
lace howl  a  bungler  or  coward  off  the  sand,  they  know  every 


"506  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

shade  of  excellence;  only  a  superlatively  perfect  swordsman 
could  kindle  their  enthusiasm  and  keep  it  at  white  heat  year 
after  year  as  did  Palus. 

Palus,  I  may  remark,  was  always  a  gallant  fighter,  and 
a  combination  of  skill  and  gallantry  in  an  adversary  so 
won  his  goodwill  that  he  never  killed  or  seriously  wounded 
such  an  opponent.  If  his  antagonist  had  an  unusually  per- 
fect guard  and  a  notably  dangerous  attack,  was  handsome, 
moved  gracefully,  displayed  courage  and  fought  with  im- 
peccable fairness  Palus  felt  a  liking  for  him,  showed  it  by 
the  way  in  which  he  stood  on  the  defensive  and  mitigated 
the  deadliness  of  his  attacks,  played  him  longer  than  usual 
to  demonstrate  to  all  the  spectators  the  qualities  he  dis- 
cerned in  him,  and,  when  he  was  convinced  that  the  onlookers 
felt  as  he  felt,  disabled  his  admired  match  with  some  effective 
but  trifling  wound. 

Then,  when  his  victim  collapsed,  Palus  would  leap  back 
from  him,  sheath  his  sword,  and  saw  the  air  with  his  empty 
left  hand,  fingers  extended  and  pressed  together,  thumb  flat 
against  the  crack  between  the  roots  of  the  index  finger  and 
big  finger,  twisting  his  hand  about  and  varying  the  angle 
at  which  he  sawed  the  air,  so  that  all  might  see  that  he 
wished  his  fallen  adversary  spared  and  was  suggesting  that 
the  spectators  nearest  him  imitate  his  gesture  and  give  the 
signal  for  mercy  by  extending  their  arms  thumbs  flat  to 
fingers. 

Except  Murmex  Lucro  I  never  saw  any  other  gladiator 
presume  to  suggest  to  the  spectators  which  signal  he  would 
like  them  to  display;  and  Murmex  had  the  air  of  a  man 
taking  a  liberty  with  his  betters  and  not  very  sure  whether 
they  would  condone  his  presumption  or  resent  his  insolence; 
whereas  Palus  waved  his  arm  much  as  Commodus  raised 
his  from  the  Imperial  throne  when,  as  Editor  of  the  games, 
he  decided  the  fate  of  a  fallen  gladiator  concerning  whom 
the  populace  were  so  evenly  divided  between  disfavorers  and 
favorers  that  neither  the  victor  nor  his  lanista,  dared  to  inter- 
pret so  doubtful  a  mandate. 

The  most  amazing  fact  concerning  Palus  was  that  his 


PALUS  THE  INCOMPARABLE  507 

audiences  never  wearied  of  watching  him  fence.  It  is  noto- 
rious that  the  spectators  in  the  Colosseum  always  have  been 
and  are,  in  general,  impatient  of  any  noticeable  prolongation 
of  a  fight.  Only  a  very  small  minority  of  the  populace  and 
a  larger,  but  still  small,  minority  of  the  gentry  and  nobility, 
take  delight  in  the  fine  points  of  swordsmanship  for  them- 
selves. Most  spectators,  while  acclaiming  skilled  fence  and 
expecting  it,  look  upon  it  merely  as  a  means  for  adding  inter- 
est to  the  preliminaries  of  what  they  desire  to  behold.  Even 
senators  and  nobles  admit  that  the  pleasure  of  viewing  gladi- 
atorial shows  comes  from  seeing  men  killed.  Contests  are 
thrilling  chiefly  because  of  their  suggestion  of  the  approach 
of  the  moment  which  brings  the  supreme  thrill. 

The  populace,  quite  frankly,  rate  the  fighting  as  a  bore; 
they  do  not  come  to  watch  skilled  swordsmen  fence;  they 
want  to  see  two  men  face  each  other  and  one  kill  the  other 
at  once.  It  is  the  killing  which  they  enjoy.  The  upper 
tiers  of  spectators  in  the  amphitheater  seldom  give  the  sig- 
nal for  mercy  when  a  defeated  man  is  down  and  helpless, 
even  though  he  be  handsome  and  graceful  and  has  fought 
bravely,  skillfully  and  gallantly.  One  seldom  sees  an  out- 
stretched arm,  with  the  hand  extended,  fingers  close  together 
and  thumb  flat  against  them,  raised  anywhere  from  the  back 
seats;  their  occupants  habitually,  in  such  cases,  wave  their 
upraised  arms  with  the  hands  clenched  and  thumbs  extended, 
waggling  their  thumbs  by  half  rotating  their  wrists,  to 
make  the  thumb  more  conspicuous,  yelling  the  while,  so  that 
the  amphitheater  is  full  of  their  insistent  roar  and  the 
upper  tiers  aflash  with  flickering  thumbs.  They  weigh  no 
fine  points  as  to  the  worth  of  the  vanquished  man,  they  do 
not  value  a  good  fighter  enough  to  want  him  saved  to  fight 
again,  they  come  to  see  men  die  and  they  want  the  defeated 
man  slaughtered  at  once. 

They  are  habituated  to  acquiescing  if  the  Emperor — or 
the  Editor,  if  the  Prince  is  not  present — or  the  nobility  con- 
travene their  wishes  and  give  the  signal  for  mercy  when  a 
gallant  fighter  is  down  by  accident,  misadventure  or  because 
he  was  outmatched.  But  there  is  often  a  burst  of  howls  if 


508  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  signal  for  mercy  comes  not  from  the  Imperial  Pavilion 
or  the  whole  podium,  but  merely  from  some  part  of  the 
nobility  or  senators.  Generally,  if  the  Emperor  has  not 
given  or  participated  in  the  signal  for  mercy,  scattered  indi- 
viduals among  the  proletariat  proclaim  their  disappointment 
by  booings,  cat-calls,  or  strident  whistlings. 

Now  Palus  was  so  popular,  so  beloved  by  the  slum-dwellers, 
that  whenever  he  showed  a  disposition  to  spare  an  opponent, 
the  whole  mass  of  the  populace  were  quick  with  the  mercy- 
eignal:  the  moment  they  saw  Palus  sheathe  his  blade  their 
arms  went  up  with  his,  almost  before  his,  thumbs  as  flat  as 
his,  never  a  thumb  out  nor  any  fingers  clenched. 

More  than  this,  no  spectator,  while  Palus  played  an  adver- 
sary, ever  yelled  for  a  prompt  finish  to  the  bout,  as  almost 
always  happened  at  the  first  sign  of  delay  in  the  case  of 
any  other  fighter.  So  comprehensible,  so  unmistakable,  so 
manifest,  so  fascinating  were  the  fine  points  of  the  swords- 
manship displayed  by  Palus  that  even  the  rearmost  spectator, 
even  the  most  brutish  lout  could  and  did  relish  them  and 
enjoy  them  and  crave  the  continuance  of  that  pleasure. 

Most  of  all  the  Colosseum  audiences  not  only  insisted  on 
Palus  appearing  in  each  exhibition,  not  only  longed  for  his 
entrance,  not  merely  came  to  regard  all  the  previous  fights 
of  the  day  as  unwelcome  postponements  of  the  pleasure  of 
watching  Palus  fence,  but  were  manifestly  impatient  for 
the  crowning  delight  of  each  day,  the  ecstacy  of  beholding  a 
bout  between  Palus  and  Murmex  Lucro,  which  contests  were 
always  bloodless. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

MURMEX 

CUSTOMARILY,  while  Palus  flourished,  each  day  began 
with  beast-fights,  the  noon  pause  was  filled  in  by  ex- 
hibitions of  athletes,  acrobats,  jugglers,  trained  animals  and 
such  like,  and  the  surprise;  then  the  gladiatorial  shows  lasted 


MURMEX  509 

from  early  afternoon  till  an  hour  before  sunset.  Palus  and 
Munnex  appeared  about  mid-afternoon  and  were  matched 
against  the  victors  in  the  earlier  fights.  Each  located  him- 
eelf  at  one  focus  of  the  ellipse  of  the  arena,  at  which  points 
two  simultaneous  fights  were  best  seen  by  the  entire  audi- 
ence. There  they  began  each  fight,  not  simultaneously,  but 
alternately,  till  all  their  antagonists  were  disposed  of,  most 
killed  and  some  spared.  The  spectators  seldom  hurried 
Murmex  to  end  a  fight;  they  never  hurried  Palus.  His 
longest  delay  in  finishing  with  an  adversary,  even  his  mani- 
fest intention  to  exhaust  an  opponent  rather  than  to  wound 
him,  never  elicited  any  protest  from  any  onlooker.  All, 
breathless,  fascinated,  craned  to  watch  the  perfection  of  his 
method,  every  movement  of  his  body,  all  eyes  intent  on  the 
point  of  his  matchless  blade. 

Last  of  the  day's  exhibitions  came  the  fencing  match  be- 
tween Palus  and  Murmex,  at  the  center  of  the  arena,  empty 
save  for  those  two  and  their  two  lanOstce.  All  others  in  the 
arena,  including  the  surgeons,  their  helpers  and  the  guards, 
drew  off  to  positions  close  under  the  podium  wall. 

Murmex  and  Palus  fenced  in  all  sorts  of  outfits,  except 
that  neither  ever  fought  as  a  retiarius.  Mostly  both  were 
equipped  as  secutors,  but  they  fought  also  as  mwmillos, 
Greeks,  Gauls,  Thracians,  Samnites  and  dimachceri,  or  one 
in  any  of  these  equipments  against  the  other  in  any  other. 

Sometimes  they  delighted  the  populace  by  donning  padded 
suits  liberally  whitened  with  flour  or  white  clay,  their 
murmillos'  helmets  similarly  whitened,  and  then  attacking 
each  other  with  quarter-staffs  of  ash,  cornel-wood  or  holly. 
A  hit,  of  course,  showed  plainly  on  the  whitened  suits.  As 
neither  could  injure  the  other  in  this  sort  of  fight,  and  as 
they  were  willing  to  humor  the  populace,  each  was  careless 
about  his  guard  and  reckless  in  his  attack.  Even  so  hits! 
were  infrequent,  since  each,  even  when  most  lax,  had  an  in- 
stinctive guard  superior  to  that  of  the  most  expert  and 
cautious  fencer  among  all  other  contemporary  fighters.  Even' 
when,  very  occasionally,  if  Palus  happened  to  be  in  a  rollick- 
ing mood,  each  substituted  a  second  quarter-staff  for  his 


510  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

shield  and,  as  it  were,  travestied  a  dimachcerus,  as  what  might 
be  called  a  two-staff-man  or  a  double-staff-man,  hits  were 
still  not  frequent.  Each  had  a  marvellously  impregnable 
defence  and  they  were  very  evenly  matched  in  the  use  of 
the  quarter-staff  in  place  of  a  shield  as  they  were  in  every- 
thing else.  Palus  fought  better  with  his  left  hand  attacking 
and  his  right  defending,  Murmex  better  the  other  way,  but 
each  was  genuinely  ambidextrous  and  used  either  hand  at  will, 
shifting  at  pleasure.  When,  amid  the  flash  of  their  staffs, 
either  scored,  the  hit  brought  a  roar  of  delight  from  the 
upper  tiers,  even  from  the  front  rows,  for  the  most  dignified 
senators  caught  the  infection  of  the  general  enthusiasm  and 
so  far  forgot  themselves  as  to  yell  like  street  urchins  in  their 
ecstasy. 

Except  in  this  farcical  sort  of  burlesque  fight  neither  ever 
scored  a  hit  on  the  other,  in  all  the  years  throughout  which 
their  combats  finished  each  day  of  every  gladiatorial  exhibi- 
tion. Yet  the  audience  never  tired  of  their  bloodless  bouta 
and,  while  the  nobility  and  gentry  never  joined  in,  the  popu- 
lace invariably  roared  a  protest  if  they  saw  the  lanistce 
make  a  move  to  separate  them,  and  yelled  for  them  to  go 
on  and  fence  longer. 

The  interest  of  the  populace  was  caused  by  the  fact,  mani- 
fest and  plain  to  all,  that,  while  Murmex  and  Palus  loved 
each  other  and  had  no  intention  of  hurting  each  other,  their 
matches  had  no  appearance  whatever  of  being  sham  fights. 
From  the  first  parade  until  they  separated  every  stroke,  feint, 
lunge  and  thrust  appeared  to  be  in  deadly,  venomous  earnest 
and  each  unhurt  merely  because,  mortal  as  was  his  adver- 
sary's attack,  his  guard  was  perfect. 

It  seemed,  in  fact,  as  if  each  man  felt  so  completely  safe, 
felt  so  certain  that  his  guard  would  never  fail  him,  and  at 
the  same  time  felt  so  sure  that  his  crony's  guard  was  equally 
faultless,  that  there  was  no  danger  of  his  injuring  his  chum, 
that  each  attacked  the  other  precisely  as  he  attacked  any 
other  adversary.  It  was  commonly  declared  among  expert 
swordsmen  and  connoisseurs  of  sword-play,  as  among  recent 
spectators,  when  talking  over  the  features  of  an  exhibition 


MURMEX  511 

after  it  was  over,  that  practically  every  thrust,  lunge  or 
stroke  of  either  in  these  bouts  would  have  killed  or  disabled 
any  other  adversary;  certainly  it  appeared  so  to  me  every 
time  I  saw  them  fence  and  especially  while  watching  their 
bouts  after  I  returned  from  my  year  at  Baiae,  for  after  that 
I  never  missed  a  gladiatorial  exhibition  in  the  Colosseum. 
To  my  mind  Palus  and  Murmex  were  manifestly  playing 
with  each  other,  like  fox-cubs  or  Molossian  puppies  or  wolf- 
cubs;  yet  the  sport  so  much  resembled  actual  attack  and 
defence,  as  with  nearly  grown  wolf-cubs,  that  it  gave  less 
the  impression  of  play  between  friends  than  that  of  deadly 
combat  between  envenomed  foes.  Many  a  time  I  have  heard 
or  overheard  some  expert  or  connoisseur  or  enthusiast  or  pro- 
vincial visitor,  prophesy  somewhat  in  this  fashion: 

"Some  day  one  of  those  two  is  going  to  kill  the  other  unex- 
pectedly and  unintentionally  and  by  mistake.  Each  thinks 
the  other  will  never  land  on  him;  each  thinks  the  other  has 
a  guard  so  impregnable  that  it  will  never  be  pierced;  each 
uses  on  the  other  attacks  so  unexpected,  so  sudden,  so  subtle, 
so  swift,  so  powerful,  so  sustained,  so  varied  that  no  third 
man  alive  could  escape  any  one  of  them.  It  is  almost  a  cer- 
tainty that  that  sort  of  thing  cannot  go  on  forever.  One 
or  the  other  of  them  may  age  sufficiently  to  retire  from  the 
arena,  as  did  Murmex  Frugi,  safe  and  unscarred,  as  he  was 
not.  But  it  is  far  more  likely,  since  both  are  full  of  vitality 
and  vigor,  that  neither  will  notice  the  very  gradual  approach 
of  age,  so  that  they  will  go  on  fighting  with  eyes  undimmed, 
muscles  supple  and  minds  quick,  yet  not  so  quick,  supple 
and  keen  as  now:  but  the  preternatural  powers  of  one  will 
wane  a  bit  sooner  than  those  of  the  other.  And  sooner  or 
later  one  will  err  in  his  guard  and  be  wounded  or  killed." 

Most  spectators  agreed  with  such  forecasts.  What  is  more, 
most  of  the  spectators  admitted  that,  as  they  watched,  each 
attack  seemed  certain  to  succeed;  every  time  either  man 
guarded  it  seemed  as  if  he  must  fail  to  protect  himself. 

This,  I  think,  explains  the  unflagging  zest  with  which  the 
entire  audience,  senators,  nobles  and  commonality,  watched 
their  bouts,  revelled  in  them,  gloated  over  the  memory  of 


518  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

them  and  longed  for  more  and  more.  Consciously  or  uncon- 
sciously, every  onlooker  felt  that  sometime,  some  bout  would 
end  in  the  wounding,  disabling  or  death  of  one  of  the  two. 
And  so  perfect  was  their  sword- play,  so  unfeigned  their 
unmitigated  fury  of  attack,  so  genuine  the  impeccable  dex- 
terity of  their  defence  that  every  spectator  felt  that  the 
supreme  thrill,  even  while  so  long  postponed,  was  certain  to 
arrive.  More,  each  felt,  against  his  judgment,  that  it  was 
likely  to  arrive  the  next  moment.  It  was  this  illogical  but 
unescapable  sensation  which  kept  the  interest  of  the  whole 
audience,  of  the  whole  of  every  audience,  at  a  white  heat 
over  the  bouts  of  Murmex  and  Palus.  I  myself  experienced 
this  condition  of  mind  and  became  infected  with  the  com- 
mon ardor.  I  found  myself  rehearsing  to  myself  the  in- 
cidents of  their  last-seen  bout,  anticipating  the  next,  longing 
for  it:  though  I  never  had  rated  myself  as  ardent  over 
gladiatorial  games,  but  rather  as  lukewarm  towards  them, 
and  considered  myself  much  more  interested  in  paintings, 
statuary,  reliefs,  ornaments,  bric-a-brac,  furniture,  fine  fabrics 
and  all  artistries  and  artisanries.  Yet  I  confessed  to  myself 
that,  from  the  time  I  saw  first  a  bout  between  them,  antici- 
pation of  seeing  them  fence,  or  enjoyment  of  it,  came  very 
high  among  my  interests  and  my  pleasures. 

To  some  extent,  I  think,  the  long  and  unequaled  vogue 
of  their  popularity  was  due  to  the  great  variety  of  their 
methods  and  almost  complete  absence  of  monotony  in  their 
bouts. 

Palus  was  left-handed,  but  for  something  like  every  third 
bout  or  a  third  of  each  bout  he  fought  right-handed,  merely 
for  bravado,  as  if  to  advertise  that  he  could  do  almost  as 
well  with  the  hand  less  convenient.  Murmex  was  right- 
handed,  but  he  too  fought  often  left-handed,  perhaps  one- 
fifth  of  the  time.  So,  in  whatever  equipment,  one  saw  each 
of  them  fight  both  ways.  Therefore  as  murmillos  they  fought 
both  right-handed,  both  left-handed,  and  each  right-handed 
against  the  other  fighting  left-handed.  This  gave  a  per- 
petually shifting  effect  of  novelty,  surprise  and  interest  to 
every  bout  between  thgm.  They  similarly  had  four  ways 


MURMEX  '513 

of  appearing  as  Greeks,  Gauls,  Samnites,  Thracians,  secutors 
or  dimachceri. 

Their  bouts  as  dimackceri  were  breathlessly  exciting,  for 
it  was  impossible,  from  moment  to  moment,  to  forecast  with 
which  saber  either  would  attack,  with  which  he  would  guard ; 
and,  not  infrequently,  one  attacked  and  the  other  guarded 
with  both.  When  they  fought  in  this  fashion  Galen,  it 
always  appeared  to  me,  looked  uneasy,  keyed  up  and  appre- 
hensive. Yet  neither  ever  so  much  as  nicked,  flicked  or 
scratched  the  other  in  their  more  than  sixty  bouts  with  two 
sabers  apiece. 

More  than  a  dozen  times  they  appeared  as  Achilles  and 
Hector,  with  the  old-fashioned,  full-length,  man-protecting 
shield,  the  short  Argive  sword  and  the  heavy  lance,  half-pike, 
half -javelin,  of  Trojan  tradition.  Murmex  threw  a  lance 
almost  as  far  and  true  as  Palus  and  the  emotion  of  the 
audience  was  unmistakably  akin  to  horror  when  both,  simul- 
taneously, hurled  their  deadly  spears  so  swiftly  and  so  true 
that  it  seemed  as  if  neither  could  avoid  the  flying  death. 
Palus,  true  to  his  nickname,  never  visibly  dodged,  though 
Murmex's  aim  was  as  accurate  as  his  own;  he  escaped  the 
glittering,  needle-pointed,  razor-edged  spear-head  by  half  a 
handVbreath  or  less  by  an  almost  imperceptible  inclination 
of  his  body,  made  at  the  last  possible  instant,  when  it  seemed 
as  if  the  lance  had  already  pierced  him.  It  was  indescribably 
thrilling  to  behold  this. 

Besides  fencing  equipped  as  Gauls,  Samnites,  Thracians 
and  secutors  they  appeared  in  every  combination  of  any 
of  these  and  of  Greeks  and  murmillos  with  every  other. 
Palus  as  a  dimachcerus  against  Murmex  as  a  munmllo  made 
a  particularly  delectable  kind  of  bout.  Almost  as  much  so 
Murmex  as  a  Gaul  against  Palus  as  a  Thracian.  And  so 
without  end. 

After  my  return  from  Baiae  Falco  pampered  me  more  than 
ever  and,  in  particular,  arranged  to  take  me  with  him  to  all 
amphitheater  shows  and  have  me  sit  beside  him  in  the  front 
row  of  the  nobles  immediately  behind  the  boxes  of  the  sen- 
ators on  the  podium.  This  does  not  sound  possible  in  our 


5U  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

later  days,  when  amphitheater  regulations  are  strictly  en- 
forced, as  they  had  been  under  the  Divine  Aurelius  and  his 
predecessors.  But,  while  Commodus  was  Prince  much  laxity 
was  rife  in  all  branches  of  the  government.  After  the  orgies 
of  bribe-taking,  favoritism  and  such  like  in  the  heyday  of 
Perennis  and  of  Oleander,  all  classes  of  our  society  became 
habituated  to  ignoring  contraventions  of  rules.  Under 
Perennis  and  later  under  Oleander  not  a  few  senators  took 
with  them  into  their  boxes  favorites  who  were  not  only  not 
of  senatorial  rank,  nor  even  nobles,  but  not  Eomans  at  all: 
foreign  visitors,  alien  residents  of  Rome,  freedmen  or  even 
slaves,  and  the  other  senators,  as  a  class  exquisitely  sensitive 
to  any  invasion  of  their  privileges  by  outsiders,  winked  at  the 
practice  partly  because  some  of  them  participated  in  it,  much 
more  because  they  feared  to  suffer  out-and-out  ruin,  if,  by 
word  or  look,  they  incurred  the  disfavor  of  Perennis  while  he 
was  all-powerful  or,  later,  of  the  more  omnipotent  Oleander. 
When  a  senator  saw  another  so  violate  propriety,  privilege  and 
law,  he  assumed  that  the  acting  Prefect  of  the  Palace  had  been 
bribed  and  so  dared  not  protest  or  whisper  disapprobation. 

Much  more  than  the  senators  the  nobles  obtained  secret 
license  to  ignore  the  rules,  or  ignored  them  without  license, 
since,  when  so  many  violated  the  regulations,  no  one  was 
conspicuous  or  likely  to  be  brought  to  book.  Falco,  being 
vastly  wealthy,  probably  bribed  somebody,  but  I  never  knew: 
when  I  hinted  a  query  he  merely  smiled  and  vowed  that  we 
were  perfectly  safe. 

So  I  sat  beside  him  through  that  unforgettable  December 
day,  at  the  end  of  which  came  the  culmination  of  what  I 
have  been  describing. 

The  day  was  perfect,  clear,  crisp,  mild  and  windless.  It 
was  not  cold  enough  to  be  chilling,  but  was  cold  enough  to 
make  completely  comfortable  a  pipe-clayed  ceremonial  toga 
over  the  full  daily  garments  of  a  noble  or  senator,  so  that 
the  entire  audience  enjoyed  the  temperature  and  basked  in 
the  brilliant  sunrays ;  for,  so  late  in  the  year,  as  the  warmth 
of  the  sun  was  sure  to  be  welcome,  the  awning  had  not  been 
spread.  I,  in  my  bizarre  oriental  attire,  wore  my  thickest 


MURMEX  515 

garments  and  my  fullest  curled  wig  and  felt  neither  too  cold 
nor  too  warm. 

I  never  saw  the  Colosseum  so  brilliant  a  spectacle.  It 
was  full  to  the  upper  colonnade  under  the  awning-rope  poles, 
not  a  seat  vacant.  Spectators  were  sitting  on  the  steps  all 
up  and  down  every  visible  stair;  two  or  even  three  rows  on 
each  side  of  each  stair,  leaving  free  only  a  narrow  alley  up 
the  middle  of  each  for  the  passage  in  or  out  of  attendants 
or  others.  Spectators  filled  the  openings  of  the  entrance- 
stairs,  all  but  jamming  each.  In  each  of  the  cross-aisles 
spectators  stood  or  crouched  against  its  back-wall,  ducking 
their  heads  to  avoid  protests  from  the  luckier  spectators  in 
the  seats  behind  them.  The  upper  colonnade  was  packed  to 
its  full  capacity  \vith  standees. 

The  program  was  unusual,  gladiatorial  exhibitions  from 
the  beginning  of  the  show;  and  nothing  else.  The  morning 
was  full  of  brisk  fights  between  young  men;  provincials, 
foreigners  and  some  Italians,  volunteer  enthusiasts.  The 
noon  pause  was  filled  in  by  routine  fights  of  old  or  aging 
gladiators  nearly  approaching  the  completion  of  their  cove- 
nanted term  of  service.  It  ended  with  a  novelty,  the  en- 
counter of  two  tight-rope  walkers  on  a  taut  rope  stretched 
fully  thirty  feet  in  the  air.  It  was  proclaimed  that  they 
were  rivals  for  the  favor  of  a  pretty  freedwoman  and  that 
they  had  agreed  on  this  contest  as  a  settlement  of  their 
rivalry.  Certainly  the  two,  naked  save  for  breech-clouts  and 
each  armed  with  a  light  lance  in  one  hand  and  a  thin-bladed 
Gallic  sword  in  the  other,  neared  each  other  with  every  sign 
of  caution,  enmity  and  courage.  Their  sparring  for  an  open- 
ing lasted  some  time,  but  was  breathlessly  interesting.  The 
victor  kept  his  feet  on  the  rope  and  pierced  his  rival,  who 
fell  and  died  from  the  spear-wound  or  the  fall  or  both. 

During  the  noon  pause  the  Emperor  had  left  his  pavilion. 
When  he  returned  I,  from  my  nearby  location,  was  certain 
that  Commodus  himself  had  presided  all  the  morning,  but 
that  now  Furfur  was  taking  his  place.  Certainly  Palus  and 
Murmex  entered  the  arena  soon  after  the  noon  pause  and 
gave  an  exhibition  almost  twice  as  long  as  usual,  killing  many. 


516  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

adversaries.  Before  the  sun  was  half  way  down  the  sky, 
as  Palus  finished  an  opponent  with  one  of  his  all  but  invisible 
punctures  of  the  thigh-artery,  the  upper  tiers  first  and  then 
all  ranks  acclaimed  this  as  the  death  of  the  twelve-hundredth 
antagonist  who  had  perished  by  his  unerring  steel. 

The  daylight  had  not  begun  to  dim  when  Murmex  and 
Palus  faced  each  other  for  the  fencing  bout  which  was  to 
end  the  day.  Each  was  equipped  as  a  secutor,  Murmex  in 
silvered  armor,  Palus  all  in  gold  or  gilded  arms.  Their 
swords  were  not  regulation  army  swords,  such  a  secutors 
normally  carried,  but  long-bladed  Gallic  swords,  the  longest- 
bladed  swords  ever  used  by  any  gladiators. 

They  made  a  wonderful  picture  as  the  lanistce  placed 
them  and  stepped  back:  Murmex,  burly,  stocky,  heavy  of 
build,  thick-set,  massive,  with  vast  girth  of  chest  and  bull- 
neck,  his  neatly-fitting  plated  gauntlet,  huge  on  his  big  right 
hand,  his  big  plated  boots  planted  solidly  on  the  sand,  his 
polished  helmet,  the  great  expanse  of  his  silvered  shield, 
his  silvered  kilt-strap-scales  and  silvered  greave-boots  bril- 
liant in  the  cool  late  light;  opposite  him  Palus,  tall,  lithe, 
graceful,  slim,  agile,  all  in  gleaming  gold,  helmet,  corselet, 
shield,  kilt,  greave-boots  and  all.  They  shone  like  a  com- 
posite jewel  set  in  the  arena  as  a  cameo  in  the  bezel  of  a 
ring.  And  the  picture  they  made  was  framed  in  the  hoop 
of  spectators  crowding  the  slopes  of  the  amphitheater,  all 
silent  after  the  gusts  of  cheers  which  had  acclaimed  the  two 
as  they  took  their  places. 

If  possible,  their  feints  and  assaults  were  more  thrilling 
than  ever,  unexpected,  sudden,  swift,  all  but  successful.  As 
always  neither  capered  or  pranced,  Murmex  not  built  for 
such  antics,  Palus  by  nature  steady  on  his  feet.  But,  except 
that  their  feet  moved  cannily,  every  bit  of  the  rest  of  cither's 
body  was  in  constant  motion  and  moved  swiftly.  The  gleam 
and  flicker  of  thrust  and  parry  were  inexpressibly  rapid. 
Even  the  upper  tiers  craned,  breathless  and  fascinated;  and 
we,  further  forward,  were  numb  and  quivering  with  excite- 
ment. 

I  have  heard  a  hundred  eye-witnesses  describe  what  oo 


MURMEX  517 

curred.  There  was  close  agreement  with  what  I  seemed  to 
see  as  I  watched. 

Pains  lunged  just  as  Murmex  made  a  brilliantly  unpre- 
dictable shift  of  his  position.  The  shift  and  lunge  came 
so  simultaneously  that  neither  had,  in  his  calculated,  pre- 
determined movement,  time  to  alter  his  intention;  Murmex, 
you  might  say,  threw  his  throat  at  the  spot  at  which  Palus 
had  aimed  his  lunge.  The  sword-point  ripped  his  throat 
from  beside  the  gullet  to  against  the  spine,  all  one  side  of  it. 
He  collapsed,  the  blood  spouting. 

Palus  cast  the  dripping  sword  violently  from  him,  the 
gleaming  blade  flying  up  into  the  air  and  falling  far  off  on 
the  sand.  The  big  shield  fell  from  his  right  arm.  Both  his 
hands  caught  his  big  helmet,  lifted  it  and  threw  it  behind 
him.  On  one  knee  he  sank  by  Murmex  and,  with  his  left 
hand,  strove  to  staunch  the  gushing  blood. 

Before  Galen,  before  even  the  lanistce  could  reach  the  two, 
Murmex  died. 

Palus  staggered  to  his  feet  and  put  up  his  gory  hand  to 
his  yellow  curls,  with  a  convincingly  agonized  gesture  of 
grief  and  horror. 

He  uttered  some  words,  I  heard  his  voice,  but  not  the  words. 
Folk  say  he  said : 

"I  have  killed  the  only  match  I  had  on  earth,  the  second- 
best  fighter  earth  ever  saw." 

The  audience,  I  among  them,  stared,  awe-struck  and  fas- 
cinated, at  Commodus  laying  a  bloody  hand  on  his  own 
head;  we  shuddered:  I  saw  many  look  back  and  forth  from 
Palus  in  the  arena  to  the  figure  on  the  Imperial  throne. 

The  guards  ran,  the  surgeons'  helpers  ran,  even  Galen  ran, 
but  Aemilius  Lsetus  reached  Palus  first,  and,  between  the 
dazed  and  stunned  lanistce,  picked  up  the  big  golden  helmet 
and  replaced  it  on  his  head,  hiding  his  features.  The  dis- 
tance from  the  -podium  wall  to  the  center  of  the  arena  is 
so  great,  the  distance  from  any  other  part  of  the  audience 
so  much  greater,  that,  while  many  of  the  spectators  were 
astounded,  suspicious  or  curious,  not  one  could  be  certain 
that  Palus  was,  beyond  peradventure,  the  Prince  of  the 


518  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Republic  in  person.  Palus  stood  there,  alternately  staring  at 
his  dead  crony  and  talking  to  Lastus  and  Galen. 

The  heralds  had  run  up  with  the  guards.  Laetus,  without 
any  pretense  of  consultation  with  the  dummy  Emperor  on 
the  throne,  spoke  to  the  heralds  and  each  stalked  off  to  one 
focus  of  the  ellipse  of  the  arena,  Thence  each  bellowed  for 
silence,  their  deep-toned,  resonant,  loud,  practiced  voices 
carrying  to  the  upper  colonnade  everywhere.  Silence,  deep 
already  since  Murmex  received  his  death-wound  and  broken 
only  by  whispers,  deepened.  The  amphitheater  became 
almost  still.  Into  the  stillness  the  heralds  proclaimed  that 
next  day  the  funeral  games  of  Murmex  Lucro  would  be  cele- 
brated in  the  Colosseum  where  he  had  died;  that  all  persons 
entitled  to  seats  in  the  Colosseum  were  thereby  enjoined  to 
attend,  unless  too  ill  to  leave  their  homes:  that  all  should 
come  without  togas,  but,  in  sign  of  mourning  for  Murmex, 
wearing  over  their  garments  full-length,  all-enveloping  rain- 
cloaks  of  undyed  black  wool  and  similarly  colored  umbrella 
hats;  that  any  person  failing  to  attend  so  habited  would  be 
severely  punished ;  that  the  show  would  be  worth  seeing,  for, 
in  honor  of  the  Manes  of  Murmex,  to  placate  his  ghost,  no 
defeated  fighter  would  be  spared  and  all  the  victors  of  the 
morning  would  fight  each  other  in  the  afternoon. 

Surely  the  tenth  day  before  the  Kalends  of  January,  in 
December  of  the  nine  hundred  and  forty-fourth  year  of  the 
City,*  the  year  in  which  Commodus  was  nominally  consul  for 
the  seventh  time,  and  Pertinax  consul  for  the  second  time, 
saw  the  strangest  audience  ever  assembled  in  the  amphi- 
theater of  the  Colosseum.  I  was  there,  seated,  as  on  the 
day  before,  next  my  master,  my  gaudy  Asiatic  garments,  like 
his  garb  of  a  noble  of  equestrian  rank,  hidden  under  a  great 
raincoat  and  my  face  shaded  by  the  broad  brim  of  an 
umbrella  hat. 

The  universal  material  conventional  for  mourners'  attire 
is  certainly  appropriate  and  proper  for  mourning  garb.  For 
the  undyed  wool  of  black  sheep,  when  spun  and  woven,  results 

A.D. 


MURMEX  519 

in  a  cloth  dingy  in  the  extreme.  The  wearing  of  garments 
made  of  it  suits  admirably  with  grief  and  gloom  of  spirit, 
deepens  sadness,  accentuates  woe,  almost  produces  melan- 
choly. And  the  sight  of  it,  when  one  is  surrounded  by  per- 
sons so  habited,  conduces  to  dejection  and  depression.  This 
equally  was  felt  by  the  whole  audience.  Instead  of  being  a 
space  glaring  in  the  sunlight  shining  on  an  expanse  of  white 
togas,  the  hollow  of  the  amphitheater  was  a  dingy  area  of 
brownish  black  under  a  lowering  canopy  of  sullen  cloud,  for 
the  sky  was  heavily  overcast  and  threatened  rain  all  day, 
though  not  a  drop  fell.  The  windless  air  was  damp  and 
penetratingly  chilly,  so  that  we  almost  shivered  under  our 
swathings.  The  discomfort  of  not  being  warm  enough  and 
the  dispiriting  effect  of  the  grim  sky  and  gloomy  interior 
of  the  amphitheater  was  manifest  in  a  sort  of  general  im- 
pression of  melancholy  and  apprehension. 

Apprehension,  or,  certainly,  uneasiness,  pervaded  the  audi- 
ence and,  as  it  were,  seemed  to  diffuse  itself  from  the  Im- 
perial Pavilion,  crowded,  not,  as  usual,  with  jaunty  figures 
in  gaudy  apparel,  all  crimson,  blue,  and  green,  picked  out 
and  set  off  by  edgings  of  silver  and  gold,  but  with  a  solemn 
retinue,  all  hidden  under  dingy  umbrella  hats  and  swathed 
in  rain-cloaks.  To  see  the  throne  occupied  by  a  human 
shape  so  obscured  by  its  habiliments  gave  all  beholders  an 
uncanny  feeling  in  which  foreboding  deepened  into  alarm. 
The  appearance  of  the  whole  audience,  still  more  of  the  Im- 
perial retinue,  was  one  to  cause  all  beholders  to  interpret 
the  garb  of  the  spectators  as  ill-omened,  almost  as  inviting 
disaster. 

In  the  center  of  the  arena  was  built  up  the  pyre  which 
was  to  consume  all  that  was  left  of  Murmex.  It  was  con- 
structed of  thirty-foot  logs,  each  tier  laid  across  the  one 
below  it,  the  lower  tiers  of  linden,  willow,  elm  and  other 
quick-burning  woods,  their  interstices  filled  with  fat  pine- 
knots  ;  the  upper  tiers  of  oak  and  maple,  at  which  last  I  heard 
not  a  few  whispered  protests,  for  old-fashioned  folk  felt  it  al- 
most a  sacrilege  that  holy  wood  should  be  used  to  burn  a 
gladiator,  a  man  of  blood.  The  pyre  was  thus  a  square  struc- 


'520  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

) 

ture  thirty  feet  on  a  side  and  fully  twenty  feet  high ;  each  side 
showing  silvered  log-butts  or  log-ends,  with  gilded  pine-knots 
all  between;  its  top  covered  with  laurel  boughs,  over  which 
was  laid  a  crimson  rug  with  golden  fringe,  setting  off  the 
corpse  of  Murmex,  which  lay  in  the  silver  armor  he  had  worn 
in  his  last  fight,  high  on  the  mound  of  laurel  boughs. 

At  each  focus  of  the  arena  was  placed  a  round  marble 
altar,  one  to  Yenus  Libitina,  one  to  Pluto.  By  these  the 
heralds  took  their  stands  and  proclaimed  that  no  offerings 
would  be  made  at  the  altars  except  one  black  lamb  at  each, 
that  every  man  slain  in  the  day's  fighting  would  be  an  offering 
to  the  Manes  of  Murmex,  since  the  day  would  be  occupied 
solely  with  the  celebration  of  funeral  games  for  the  solace 
of  his  ghost. 

The  games  began  with  a  set-to  of  sixteen  pairs  of  gladia- 
tors fighting  simultaneously.  After  this  was  over  the  sixteen 
victors  drew  off  towards  one  end  of  the  arena  and  sixteen 
other  pairs  fought  simultaneously.  After  them  the  victors 
of  the  first  set  paired  off  as  the  lamstce  arranged  and  the 
eight  pairs  fought.  The  eight  victors  again  rested  while 
the  survivors  of  the  second  set  simultaneously  fought  as 
eight  pairs.  So  they  alternated  till  only  two  men  survived. 
A  third  batch  of  thirty-two  gladiators  then  fought  in  six- 
teen pairs;  then  the  two  survivors  of  the  first  and  second 
batches  fought.  The  heralds  proclaimed  that  the  sole  sur- 
vivor of  the  first  sixty-four  would  fight  again  in  the  after- 
noon. So  with  the  sole  survivor  of  the  third  and  fourth 
batches.  This  grim  butchery  gave  a  savage  tone  to  the 
whole  day.  All  the  morning  many  pairs  fought,  till  one  of 
each  pair  was  killed.  But,  after  the  fourth  batch,  every 
victor  in  any  fight  was  reserved  to  fight  again  in  the  after- 
noon. 

To  my  eyesight  the  figure  on  the  throne,  even  under  that 
broad  hat-brim  and  enveloped  in  that  thick  rain-cloak,  was 
manifestly  Commodus  in  person.  Unmistakably  his  wag 
every  Imperial  gesture  as  he  presided  as  Editor  of  the  games. 

During  the  noon  interval,  as  usual,  the  Emperor  retired 


MURMEX 

to  his  robing-room  under  the  upper  tiers  of  the  amphitheater. 
When  again,  after  the  noon  interval,  the  throne  was  reoccu- 
pied,  I  felt  certain  that  its  occupant  was  Ducconius  Furfur. 

At  any  rate  Palus  appeared  at  once  after  the  noon  interval 
and  the  first  fight  was  between  him  and  the  survivor  of 
the  sixty-four  wretches,  who  had  begun  the  day's  butchery. 
Palus,  of  course,  killed  his  man,  but  with  more  appearance 
of  effort  and  less  easily  than  any  adversary  he  had  ever  faced 
under  my  observation.  The  people  cheered  his  victory,  but 
not  so  enthusiastically  as  usual.  He  did  not  appear  again 
till  the  last  event  of  the  day,  which  was  a  series  of  duels  be- 
tween champions  in  two-horse  chariots,  driven  by  expert 
charioteers,  they  and  the  fighters  equipped  with  arms  and 
armor  such  as  was  used  by  both  sides  at  the  siege  of  Troy. 
Horses  are  seldom  seen  in  the  Colosseum  and  these  pairs, 
frantic  at  the  smell  of  blood,  taxed  to  the  utmost  the  skill 
and  strength  of  their  drivers,  particularly  as  they  were  con- 
trolled by  the  old-fashioned  reins  of  the  Heroic  period,  the 
manipulation  of  which  calls  for  methods  different  from  those 
effective  with  our  improved  modern  reins. 

The  charioteers  were  capable  and  their  dexterous  maneu- 
vering for  every  advantage  of  approach  and  relative  position 
won  many  cheers.  Eight  pairs  fought,  then  the  eight  vic- 
tors paired  off,  then  the  four  victors,  then  the  two.  The 
sole  survivor  then  retired  and  while  he  was  out  of  the 
arena  there  entered  a  superb  pair  of  bay  horses,  drawing 
a  chariot  of  Greek  pattern,  in  which,  to  the  amazement  of 
all  beholders,  was  Narcissus,  the  wrestler,  himself,  habited 
as  Automedon  and  acting  as  charioteer;  while  beside  him, 
magnificent  in  a  triple  crested  crimson-plumed  helmet  of  the 
Thessalian  type,  in  a  gilded  corselet  of  the  style  of  the 
Heroic  age,  with  gilded  scales  on  its  kilt-straps,  with  gilded 
greaves,  with  a  big  gilded  Argive  shield  embossed  with  re- 
liefs, and  holding  two  spears,  manifestly  habited  as  Achilles, 
stood  Palus. 

When  his  refreshed  antagonist  reentered  in  a  Trojan  char- 
iot and  armored  and  armed  as  Hector  of  Troy,  Palus  handed 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

his  two  spears  to  his  Automedon,  leapt  from  his  chariot, 
walked  over  to  Hector's,  and  spoke  to  him.  I  heard  it  re- 
ported afterwards  that  he  said: 

"It  would  spoil  the  program  for  Hector  to  slay  Achilles, 
but  you  have  as  much  chance  of  killing  me  as  I  of  killing 
you.  I  am  so  shaken  by  Murmex's  death  that  I  am  not  the 
man  I  was  yesterday  morning  and  up  till  then.  I  never  felt 
so  nearly  matched  as  by  you,  not  even  by  Murmex.  Attack 
and  spare  not.  I  have  given  orders  that,  if  you  kill  me,  you 
shall  not  suffer  for  it  in  any  way.  I  don't  want  to  live, 
anyhow,  now  Murmex  is  dead." 

Whether  he  said  this  or  something  else,  he  spoke  earnestly 
and  walked  back  to  his  chariot  nearby,  without  any  elasticity 
in  his  tread. 

Narcissus,  the  wrestler,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  spec- 
tators, proved  himself  a  paragon  horse  jockey.  Everyone 
knew  him  as  a  wrestler,  as  reported  the  strongest  man  alive, 
as  claimed  by  his  admirers  to  have  a  more  powerful  hand- 
grasp  than  any  rival,  as  the  favorite  wrestling-mate  of  the 
Emperor;  all  the  notabilities  had  seen  him  and  Commodus 
wrestle  in  the  Stadium  of  the  Palace;  all  Home  knew  him 
for  a  crony  of  the  Prince;  yet  no  one  had  ever  heard  him 
praised  or  even  mentioned  as  a  charioteer.  Yet  he  showed 
himself  a  matchless  horseman.  Hector's  charioteer  was  a 
master,  yet  Narcissus  outmaneuvered  him,  gained  the  ad- 
vantage of  angle  of  approach  and,  after  many  turns,  gave 
Palus  his  chance.  The  two  great  lances  flew  almost  simul- 
taneously; but,  as  Achilles  dodged,  Hector  fell  dying  of  a 
mortal  wound  in  the  throat. 

What  followed  was,  apparently,  according  to  the  prear- 
ranged program  and  was  indubitably  in  keeping  with  the 
equipment  of  the  two  champions  and  their  charioteers;  yet 
it  horrified  me,  and  I  think  all  the  senators  and  nobles  as 
well  as  most  of  the  audience.  As  Hector  sprawled  horridly 
on  the  sand  Narcissus  veered  his  pair  and,  as  they  passed  the 
fallen  man,  Achilles  leapt  from  his  chariot.  Drawing  his 
Argive  sword  he  slashed  the  dying  man  across  his  abdomen; 
then,  sheathing  his  blade,  he  stood,  one  foot  on  his  adver- 


MURMEX  523 

«ary's  neck  and,  raising  his  lance  and  shield,  shouted: 
"Enalie!  Enalie!  Enalie!"  the  old  Greek  invocation  to 
the  war-god.  Then  he  threw  aside  his  lance  and  shield  and 
stripped  off  the  armor  from  the  dead.  Arena-slaves  carried 
it  to  the  pyre  and  placed  it  upon  it,  by  Murmex. 

Narcissus  had  wheeled  the  chariot  in  a  short  circle  and 
halted  it  as  near  Palus  as  he  could  keep  it  and  control  the 
frantic  horse.  Palus  took  from  one  of  the  hand-holds  at 
the  back  of  the  chariot-rail  a  long  leathern  thong.  With  his 
dirk  he  slit  each  foot  of  the  corpse  between  the  leg-bone  and 
the  heel-tendon;  through  the  slit  he  passed  the  thong,  knot- 
ting it  to  his  liking.  The  doubled  thong  he  tied  securely 
to  the  rear  rim  of  the  chariot-bed.  Retrieving  his  lance 
and  shield  he  posed  an  instant,  every  inch  Achilles,  stepped 
over  Hector's  naked  corpse  and  mounted  the  chariot.  From 
Automedon  he  took  the  reins  and  the  whip,  passing  him 
his  lance,  yet  retaining  his  great  circular  shield,  nowise 
hampered  by  which  he  drove  the  chariot  round  and  round 
the  pyre,  the  picture,  as  all  could  see,  he  felt,  of  Achilles 
placating  the  ghost  of  Patroclus. 

This  exhibition  shocked  the  whole  audience,  upper  tiers 
and  all.  The  ghost  of  a  hiss  breathed  under  the  tense  hush 
of  the  silent  beholders.  A  shudder  ran  over  the  hollow  of 
the  amphitheater,  as  the  dragged  corpse,  mauled  by  the  sand 
and  turning  over,  became  a  mere  lump  of  pounded  meat. 
The  chill  of  the  onlookers  appeared  to  reach  Palus.  He 
halted  his  team  near  the  pyre,  arena-slaves  dragged  away 
Hector's  corpse,  one  brought  a  lighted  torch  and  Palus  him- 
self kindled  the  pyre  at  each  of  its  four  corners,  walking 
twice  round  it.  When  it  was  enveloped  in  crackling  flames, 
he  mounted  the  chariot  and  Narcissus  drove  him  out;  drove 
him  out,  to  the  horror  of  all  beholders  by  the  Gate  of  Ill- 
omen. 

After  he  vanished  through  that  gate  no  amphitheater  ever 
again  beheld  Palus  the  Gladiator. 

When  he  was  gone  all  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  kindling 
pyre.  The  flames  blazed  up  all  round  it  and  above  it,  the 
smoke  mounted  skyward  in  a  thick  column,  the  crackle  and 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

roar  of  the  flames  was  audible  all  over  the  amphitheater;  so 
deep  was  the  solemn  stillness.  I  shall  carry  to  my  last  living 
hour  the  vivid  recollection  of  that  picture:  under  the  grim 
gray  sky,  framed  in  by  the  sable  hangings  which  draped  the 
upper  colonnade,  and  by  the  dingy  audience,  against  the 
yellow  sand,  that  column  of  sootv  smoke  and  below  it  the 
red  glare  of  the  blazing  pyre. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

ANXIETY 

AFTER  my  seclusion  at  Baia3,  up  to  the  terrible  events 
which  I  am  about  to  narrate,  by  far  the  most  important 
of  my  experiences  had  been  my  personal  observations  of  the 
fights  of  Palus  the  Gladiator  and  what  I  had  heard  and 
thought  about  him.  Therefore  I  have  narrated  those  at 
length  and  first.  Now  I  approach  the  story  of  my  most 
dreadful  miseries. 

From  my  return  to  Rome  my  life  had  gone  on  much  as 
it  had  before  my  master  had  compelled  me  to  impersonate 
Salsonius  Salinator  and,  in  so  doing,  to  resume  my  natural 
appearance  as  I  had  looked  while  my  genuine  self,  and  thus, 
undisguised,  to  mingle  with  the  associates  of  my  normal 
early  life.  After  my  hair  and  beard  had  regained  their 
previous  luxuriance  and  I  was  again  painted,  rouged, 
frizzed,  bejeweled,  and  bedizened,  I  felt  safe  and,  was  in 
fact,  almost  entirely  safe.  In  this  guise  I  enjoyed  life. 
Falco  was  indulgent  to  me  and  I  had  every  luxury  at  my 
command. 

Falco's  mania  for  gem-collecting  did  not  wane,  but,  if 
possible,  grew  on  him.  His  ventures  all  prospered,  his  profits 
from  risky  speculations  poured  in,  his  normal  income  from 
his  heritage  increased;  and,  of  all  this  opulence,  every  sur- 
plus denarius  was  paid  out  for  gems  and  curios.  Yet  he 
never  was  so  much  a  faddist  as  to  lose  a  day  from  the  games 


ANXIETY  525 

of  the  circus  and  the  amphitheater.  He  viewed  every  show 
of  gladiators,  every  day  of  racing,  almost  every  combat  and 
every  race. 

The  day  after  the  spectacular  games  for  Murmex  and  his 
more  spectacular  cremation,  the  eighth  day  before  the 
Kalends  of  January,  was  nominally  the  last  racing  day  of 
the  year.  The  weather  was  fair  and  mild.  The  Circus 
Maximus  was  crowded,  the  Imperial  Pavilion  blazed  with 
the  retinue  about  the  Emperor,  he  and  all  of  us  enjoyed 
the  thirty  races  of  four  four-horsed  chariots  to  each.  I 
mention  this  because  it  was  his  last  public  appearance. 

The  festivities  of  the  Saturnalia,  which  I  had  prepared 
for  according  to  Falco's  orders  with  lavish  prodigality,  left 
me  more  than  a  little  weary.  I  spent  some  days  mostly  in 
resting  and  dozing,  being  drowsy  all  day,  even  with  long 
nights  of  sound  sleep. 

On  the  fatal  last  day  of  the  year  I  did  not  go  out,  but 
read  or  dozed  and  went  early  to  bed.  I  slept  heavily,  know- 
ing nothing  from  composing  myself  in  bed  until  I  wakened 
suddenly  in  the  almost  complete  darkness  of  the  first  hint 
of  light  at  the  dawn  of  a  cloudy,  windless  winter  day.  I 
woke  with  a  sense  of  having  been  roused,  of  something  un- 
usual; and,  vaguely  descrying  a  human  figure  by  my  bed 
asked,  sleepily: 

"Is  that  you,  Dromo?" 

"No/'  said  Agathemer's  voice,  "it  is  I." 

I  raised  myself  on  one  elbow,  shot  through  with  forebod- 
ing. But  my  apprehensions  were  mastered  by  an  idle  curios- 
ity. I  knew  he  had  some  imperative  reason  for  coming  to 
me,  yet  I  did  not  ask  his  errand,  but  queried: 

"How  on  earth  did  you  get  in  ?" 

"The  house-door  was  open,"  he  said  simply. 

"But/'  I  marvelled,  "I  am  surprised  that  the  janitor  was 
awake  so  early." 

"He  was  not,"  said  Agathemer  with  deliberate  emphasis, 
"he  was  as  fast  asleep  in  his  cell  on  the  right  of  the  vestibule 
as  was  the  watch-dog  in  his  on  the  left." 

"And  you  walked  past  both  unnoticed?"  I  hazarded. 


526  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

"I  did,"  said  he,  "and  you  had  best  warn  Falco  somehow 
or  induce  him  to  sell  his  janitor  and  buy  one  he  can  trust 
or  to  put  in  his  place  some  trusty  home-slave.  That  is  no 
sort  of  a  janitor  for  the  house  containing  the  second-largest 
private  gem-collection  in  all  Home.  Nor  any  sort  of  watch- 
dog." 

"How  came  the  door  unbarred  ?"  I  wondered,  "who  showed 
you  up  here?" 

"I  came  up  alone,"  said  Agathemer,  significantly.  "I  have 
not  seen  a  human  being  except  the  snoring  janitor.  This 
house  is  at  the  mercy  of  any  sneak-thief.  But  you  can  return 
to  that  later.  I  have  come  to  tell  you  good  news.  Commodus 
is  dead !" 

"Really?"  I  quavered. 

Oddly  enough  I  felt  no  sense  of  relief.  Before  my  eyes 
arose  the  picture  of  Commodus  as  I  had  seen  him  facing  the 
mutineers  from  Britain  before  he  condemned  Perennis:  I 
recalled  how  often  I  had  heard  said  of  him  that  he  was  the 
noblest  born  of  all  our  Emperors  from  the  Divine  Julius 
down;  that  he  was  the  handsomest  and  the  strongest  man 
in  any  assembly  about  him,  however  large;  that  in  his  Im- 
perial Regalia  he  looked  more  imperial  than  any  man  ever 
had:  I  contrasted  his  possession  of  these  qualities  with  his 
pitiful  squandering  of  his  boundless  opportunities,  with  his 
frittering  away  his  life  on  horse-racing,  sword-play  and  such 
like  frivolities.  I  could  not  think  of  myself,  only  of  what 
Commodus  might  have  been  and  had  not  been.  I  mourned 
for  him  and  Rome. 

Agathemer  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  my  bed  and  told  his 
story. 

"You  know,"  he  said,  "that,  as  gem-expert  and  as  sales- 
man for  Orontides,  I  have  many  friends  in  the  Palace.  I 
have  carefully  kept  out  of  it  myself  and  Orontides  has 
acquiesced,  for  I  told  him  I  had  good  reason  to  avoid  going 
in  there,  as  you  well  know  I  have.  If  Marcia  had  seen  me 
she  would  have  recognized  me  and  I  should  not  have  lived 
many  hours,  for  she,  believing  you  dead,  would  regard  me 
as,  of  all  men,  the  most  likely  to  see  through  the  utilization 


ANXIETY  527 

of  Ducconius  Furfur  as  a  dummy  Emperor  to  free  Corn- 
modus  for  masquerading  as  Palus.  She  would  want  me 
out  of  the  way  as  the  only  man  in  Rome  who  had  known 
Furfur  in  Sabinum.  Therefore  I  kept  away  from  the 
Palace. 

"But  my  good  friends  among  the  valets  and  chamberlains 
and  secretaries,  and  even  higher  officials  have  not  only 
kept  me  posted  as  to  the  most  interesting  happenings,  in- 
trigues and  rumors,  but  one  or  two  close  to  the  Emperor 
have  regularly  communicated  to  me  many  details  of  Palace 
gossip." 

Daily,  since  the  death  of  Murmex,  Agathemer  had  been 
informed  of  long,  heated  and  ever  longer  and  more  violent 
discussions  between  Commodus  and  Marcia,  often  with 
Eclectus  also  present  and  participating,  for  he  had  been 
acting  towards  Commodus  more  as  an  equal  toward  a  crony 
than  as  Head  Chamberlain  of  the  Palace  towards  his  master. 
Laetus,  too  had  also  participated,  sometimes  in  place  of 
Eclectus,  sometimes  along  with  him,  for  he  also  had  been 
comporting  himself  more  as  a  chum  of  Commodus  than  as 
Prefect  of  the  Praetorium  towards  his  Emperor. 

The  substance  of  the  discussions  had  been  always  the 
same.  Commodus,  at  once  after  the  death  of  Murmex,  an- 
nounced his  intention  of  turning  his  Imperial  duties  and 
dignities  over  to  Ducconius  Furfur  and  of  going  to  the 
Choragium,  there  and  thenceforward  to  live  and  to  die  as 
Palus  the  Gladiator.  He  declared  that  as  Emperor  he  never 
had  an  hour  free  from  anxiety,  always  in  dread  of  assassina- 
tion by  poison  or  otherwise,  whereas,  as  a  gladiator  among 
gladiators,  he  felt  perfectly  safe  and  carefree,  beloved  and 
watched  over  by  all  his  companions  and  certain  to  win  all 
his  fights. 

"As  Emperor,"  he  said,  "I'll  not  live  a  year;  as  Palua 
I'll  most  likely  die  of  old  age,  forty  years  or  more  from 
now.  Furfur  and  I  are  so  alike  that  no  one  can  tell  us 
apart,  so  no  one  will  ever  suspect  that  the  man  acting  as 
Emperor  is  not  the  same  man  who  Has  filled  that  place  ever 
since  Father  died." 


528  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Marcia  had  talked  to  him  of  his  duty  and  he  had  rejoined 
that  he  had  always  known  that  he  was  unfit  to  be  the  Em- 
peror, had  feared  his  responsibilities,  had  undertaken  them 
unwillingly,  had  mostly  bungled  them,  and  the  world  would 
be  far  better  off  with  anybody  else  as  Emperor,  that  everybody 
knew  it  and  that  he  was  despised  by  the  whole  Senate  and 
nobility  and  for  that  reason  more  unhappy  although  he  was 
unhappy  enough  so  anyhow,  without  the  covert  jeers  of  the 
magistrates;  whereas  he  was  the  best  gladiator  ever  and  all 
gladiators  and  experts  acknowledged  and  acclaimed  him  peer- 
less; as  a  gladiator  he  would  be  happy  and  enjoy  life  up  to 
whatever  end  came  to  him,  preferably  an  unexpected  acci- 
dental sudden  death  such  as  had  befallen  Murmex.  Ducco- 
nius  Furfur  had  not  only  sat  in  his  throne  at  shows,  but 
had  received  embassies,  read  better  than  he  the  addresses 
composed  for  him  by  his  Prefects  of  the  Prastorium  and 
Secretaries,  knew  all  the  tricks  of  the  office  and  could  and 
would  be  a  better  Emperor  than  ever  he  had  been. 

When  Eclectus  and  Laatus  argued  with  him  the  results 
were  similar. 

Then  Marcia  admonished  him  that  while  Furfur  had  es- 
caped detection  in  mere  routine  matters  he  was  certain  to 
be  detected  within  a  few  days  if  he  essayed  all  the  Imperial 
duties  before  all  sorts  of  people.  In  that  case  some  sort  of 
revolt  would  abolish  him  and  put  a  new  Emperor  in  place 
of  him  and  any  such  chosen  autocrat  would  quickly  order  the 
death  of  Palus  the  Gladiator  to  assure  himself  the  throne. 
To  this  line  of  argument  Commodus  had  been  as  deaf  as  to 
all  other  lines. 

"Why,"  he  had  said,  "if  I  change  clothes  with  Furfur  you 
wouldn't  know  the  difference  yourself.  If  we  both  were 
garbed  as  Emperor,  Lsetus  wouldn't  know  which  to  obey. 
And  if  my  wife  and  most  loyal  servant  cannot  tell  which  is 
which  when  we  are  side  by  side  and  habited  alike,  who  will 
ever  suspect  that  Furfur  is  not  I  when  I  am  out  of  the 
way,  far  off,  living  as  Palus  the  Swordsman,  never  alongside 
the  Emperor  or  in  sight  at  the  same  time?  The  plan  can- 
not miscarry." 


ANXIETY  529 

He  had  announced  that  he  meant  on  the  Kalends  of  Jan- 
ary  to  take  up  his  abode  in  the  Choragiurn  and  leave  the 
Palace  and  its  adjuncts  and  all  his  prerogatives  to  Duc- 
conius  Furfur.  He  had  Furfur  in  and  the  five  had  a  heated 
wrangle.  Furfur,  after  the  discussion,  had  another  with 
Marcia,  Eclectus  and  Lsetus,  declaring  that  he  thought  the 
scheme  as  insane  as  they  thought  it,  but  dared  not  show 
reluctance  for  fear  of  being  put  to  death  at  once:  as  an 
impostor  Emperor  he  would,  at  least,  have  a  chance,  if  a 
faint  chance,  of  success  and  survival. 

Then  they  all  had  a  long  altercation  on  the  last  day  of 
the  year,  during  which  Commodus  cursed  Marcia  and  Eclec- 
tus and  LaBtus  and  vowed  he  would  have  them  all  executed 
if  they  mentioned  the  subject  again.  He  imperiously  bade 
them  acquiesce  and  so  silenced  them. 

Then  he  made  Furfur,  who  pretended  to  him  that  he 
was  delighted,  remain  to  drink  with  him.  They  drank  till 
both  were  dead  drunk  and  snoring. 

Marcia,  finding  them  so,  held  a  consultation  with  Eclectus 
and  Lffitus  and  proposed  to  have  Narcissus  strangle  Furfur, 
saying  that  with  Furfur  out  of  the  way  Commodus  might 
come  to  his  senses :  she  would  risk  his  wrath  and  be  resigned 
to  death  if  she  failed  to  placate  him;  for,  with  Furfur  dead, 
he  could  not  carry  out  his  crazy  intentions.  She  said  she 
loved  Commodus  so  much  that  she  was  willing  to  save  him 
even  at  the  cost  of  her  own  life. 

Eclectus  and  Lsetus  acclaimed  her  plan  and  were  over- 
joyed at  their  opportunity,  for  all  three  hated  Furfur.  Yet, 
all  three  shrank  from  going  into  the  room  with  Narcissus. 
He,  entering  alone,  mistook  the  two  sleepers,  who  had 
changed  clothes,  and  by  mistake  for  Furfur,  strangled  Com- 
modus. After  his  victim  was  indubitably  dead  and  past  any 
possibility  of  reviving  he  summoned  his  accomplices  and, 
when  Marcia  shrieked  and  fainted,  for  the  first  time  realized 
his  blunder. 

Then,  frantic,  he  seized  Furfur  and  strangled  him  to 
death  long  before  Eclectus  had  revived  Marcia  from  her 
swoon. 


580  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

As  Agathemer  told  it  to  me  all  this  came  out  in  a  hap- 
hazard tangle  of  unfinished  sentences,  interruptions,  fresh 
starts,  questions,  answers,  repetitions  and  explanations. 

Meanwhile  the  day  had  dawned  gray  and  lowering.  Of 
ail  my  strange  experiences  none  were  more  eery  than  that 
talk  with  Agathemer,  beginning  in  the  dark  and,  with  his 
form  and  features  and  expressions  effaced,  gradually  be- 
coming more  and  more  visible.  And  towards  the  end  of  his 
disclosures  he  checked  himself  in  the  middle  of  a  word  and, 
raising  his  hand,  whispered: 

"Hark!" 

Silent  and  tense,  we  listened.  Even  in  my  bedroom,  open- 
ing on  the  side  gallery  of  the  peristyle,  we  heard,  from  over 
the  roofs,  cries  of: 

"The  tyrant  is  dead!  The  despot  is  dead!  The  prize- 
fighter is  dead!  The  murderer  is  dead!" 

"The  news  is  out !"  Agathemer  ejaculated,  and  he  breathed 
a  prayer  to  Mercury,  in  which  I  joined.  When  finally  he 
had  told  all  he  had  to  tell  I  marvelled: 

"Can  it  be  possible  that  the  most  intimate  and  secret  con- 
versations of  the  Prince  of  the  Republic,  of  the  most  sedu- 
lously guarded  man  on  earth,  are  thus  overheard  by  under- 
lings and  so  promptly  communicated  even  to  outsiders  pre- 
sumably to  be  reckoned  among  his  enemies?" 

"I  conjecture/'  Agathemer  rejoined,  "that  I  am  not  the 
only  outsider  in  receipt  of  information  of  this  kind." 

"If  you  have  been,  all  along,"  I  asked,  "in  receipt  of 
such  information,  why  have  you  always  talked  of  Furfur's 
presence  in  the  Palace  and  his  utilization  as  a  dummy  Em- 
peror while  Commodus  masqueraded  as  Palus,  as  a  con- 
jecture of  yours  which  you  believed,  but  of  which  you  could 
not  be  certain?  Why  have  you  not  frankly  spoken  of  it  as 
a  fact,  which  many  knew  of  and  of  which  some  in  a  position 
to  know,  repeatedly  informed  you?" 

"Because  no  one  ever  did  so  inform  me,"  Agathemer  an- 
swered, "they  merely  dropped  hints,  mostly  hints,  unnoticed 
by  themselves,  unintentionally  dropped  by  them,  and  uncer- 
tainly pieced  together  by  me.  While  Commodus  was  alive 


ANXIETY  581 

each  of  my  informants,  however  fond  of  me,  however  under 
obligations  to  me,  however  anticipative  of  profit  from  me, 
however  eager  to  curry  favor  with  me,  yet  had  vividly  before 
him  the  dread  of  death,  of  death  with  torture,  if  any  disloy- 
alty of  his,  any  dereliction  in  deed,  word  or  thought,  came 
to  the  notice  of  Commodus  or  Laetus  or  Eclectus,  or  if  any 
one  of  them  came  to  harbor  any  suspicion  of  him.  All  were 
vague,  guarded,  indefinite,  cautious. 

"Since  midnight  all  that  has  changed.  None  fears  any 
retribution  for  blabbing;  all  feel  an  overmastering  urge  to- 
wards confiding  in  some  one.  The  three  who,  each  unknown 
to  the  others,  have  resorted  to  me,  told  me  unreckonably 
more  than  I  previously  conjectured.  I  comprehend  the  entire 
situation,  now." 

"If  so,"  I  said,  "make  me  comprehend  it.  I  do  not 
How  could  Furfur  be  coerced  or  persuaded  to  such  an  im- 
posture? How  could  he  be  domiciled  in  the  Palace  along 
with  Marcia  and  Commodus  and  the  deception  maintained? 
How  could  the  three  personally  endure  or  even  sustain  the 
difficulties  of  the  situation?" 

"It  all  hinged,"  Agathemer  explained,  "on  the  fact  that 
Furfur  was  insanely  in  love  with  Marcia,  that  Marcia  hated 
and  loathed  him  and  that  Commodus  realized  how  each  felt 
to  the  other.  He  was  so  sure  of  Marcia's  detestation  of 
Furfur  that  he  was  never  jealous  of  him,  so  sure  of  Fur- 
fur's complete  subserviency  to  Marcia  that  he  never  feared 
betrayal  by  him.  Actually,  from  what  I  hear,  Furfur  com- 
plied as  he  did  partly  from  loyalty  to  Commodus,  partly 
from  fear  of  him,  partly,  perhaps,  from  a  sort  of  relish  for 
his  risky  impersonation,  but  chiefly  because  he  was  wax  in 
Marcia's  hands;  as,  indeed,  was  every  man  who  came  within 
reach  of  her  fascinations.  Does  that  explain  it?" 

"Enough,"  I  agreed.  "Perhaps  as  far  as  it  can  or  could 
be  explained." 

"The  main  thing,"  said  Agathemer,  "is  that  Commodus  is 
dead." 

"I  should  be  pleased  to  hear  that,"  I  said,  "and  I  am 
and  I  thank  you.  But,  somehow,  I  am  unable  to  think  of 


532  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

myself.  Uppermost  in  my  mind  is  the  thought  of  the  dead 
autocrat,  of  his  unlimited  power,  of  his  inability  to  surround 
himself  with  trustworthy  dependents,  and  of  all  you  have 
had  hinted  to  you  and,  even  to-night,  told  you.  In  such  a 
world,  who  can  consider  himself  safe?" 

Agathemer  looked  piqued. 

"I  reckoned,"  he  said,  "that  you  would  feel,  if  not  safe, 
at  least  less  unsafe  upon  hearing  my  announcement." 

"I  do,"  said  I,  "for,  under  any  other  Prince,  I  should  be 
less  in  danger,  and,  when  we  learn  who  is  chosen  Emperor, 
it  may  turn  out  that  I  have  some  chance  of  rehabilitation." 

"Laetus  and  Eclectus,"  said  Agathemer,  "have  decided  to 
make  Pertinax  Emperor.  When  my  informer  left  the  Pal- 
ace they  had  already  set  off  to  find  Pertinax,  presumably 
at  his  home,  and  offer  him  the  Principate." 

"That,"  I  gloried,  "is  truly  good  news.  I  knew  him  as 
a  young  noble  knows  many  an  older  senator :  he  may  re- 
member me.  He  should  have  nothing  against  me.  You 
raise  my  hopes  high !" 

"By  all  means  be  hopeful  and  cheerful,"  said  Agathemer, 
"but  stick  to  your  present  disguise  and  continue  your  present 
way  of  life  until  we  are  sure.  Do  not  be  rash." 

We  consulted  further  and  he  said: 

"I'll  keep  away  from  you  except  when  it  seems  impera- 
tive to  talk  with  you.  I  shall  not  send  any  more  letters 
than  I  must.  Do  not  write  to  me.  If  you  must  see  me,  it 
will  be  safe  to  come  to  Orontides'  shop,  as  Falco  is  continu- 
ally sending  you  there  about  gems.  You  can  nod  to  me 
without  any  uttered  word  and  Fll  then  come  here  as  soon  as 
may  be." 

He  left  just  as  dawn  brightened  into  full  day. 

Among  the  first  proclamations  of  our  new  Emperor  was 
one  expressly  abolishing  the  court  for  prosecuting  accusa- 
tions for  infringement  of  the  Imperial  Majesty  by  incau- 
tious words  or  inadvertent  acts  and  at  the  same  time  decree- 
ing the  recall  of  every  living  exile  banished  for  such  trans- 
gressions; also  specifically  rehabilitating  the  memory  of  all 
pergons  who  had  been  under  Commodus,  put  to  death  oix 


ANXIETY  533 

the  pretext  of  this  sort  of  guilt.  Before  the  end  of  the  day 
on  which  this  decree  was  promulgated  I  received  a  letter 
from  Agathemer  in  which  he  wrote : 

"Beware !  Keep  close.  Already  it  is  rumored  that  ex- 
ceptions to  this  decree  have  been  made.  Marcia  is  still  alive, 
is  married  to  Eclectus,  and  Eclectus  is  confirmed  as  Palace 
Chamberlain.  With  Marcia  close  to  the  Emperor  you  are 
not  safe,  no  matter  who  is  Emperor.  Keep  close !" 

I  followed  his  advice,  which  was  easy  for  me  to  do,  as  I 
was  very  comfortable  and  well  habituated  to  my  life.  More- 
over I  was  buoyed  up  with  hope  of  early  rehabilitation  and 
of  then  marrying  Vedia,  who  sent  me  one  cautiously  worded 
note,  congratulating  me  on  the  disappearance  of  my  most 
dangerous  foeman,  warning  me  that  I  still  had  formidable 
enemies  alive  and  in  high  places,  and  begging  me  to  be 
prudent.  She  reiterated  her  expressions  of  love,  devotion 
and  fidelity. 

From  Tanno  also  I  received  a  letter  warning  me  to  be  on 
guard  and  to  efface  myself  as  much  as  possible. 

Falco,  who  had  loathed  Commodus,  but  had  been  careful 
to  keep  a  still  tongue  on  all  matters  except  horse-racing, 
sword-play,  social  pleasures  and  gem-collecting,  was  much 
relieved  at  his  death,  and  heartily  delighted  with  his  suc- 
cessor. He  took  pains  to  be  present  among  the  auditors  of 
Pertinax  whenever  nobles  were  admitted  along  with  the 
senators  to  listen  to  his  addresses,  which  was  almost  always. 
He  took  to  heart  the  new  Emperor's  adjurations  as  to  econ- 
omy and  his  invectives  against  the  evils  of  speculative  enter- 
prises of  all  kinds.  Over  our  wine  after  dinner,  when  we 
two  dined  alone  together,  much  as  Agathemer  and  I  had 
when  I  was  my  former  self,  he  unbosomed  himself  to  me. 

"Pertinax  is  right,"  he  averred,  "there  is  a  real  difference 
between  enterprises  which  enrich  only  the  participants  and 
those  which,  while  profiting  their  promoters,  also  add  to  the 
wealth  of  the  Eepublic.  I  applaud  his  distinction  between 
the  two.  I  agree  with  him  that  wealthy  men  like  me  should 
invest  their  capital  in  nothing  which  does  not  benefit  man- 
kind as  well  as  themselves.  I  have  realized  with  a  shock 


534*  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  shame  that  my  greed  for  cash  to  spend  on  jewels  has  led 
me  to  embark  in  ventures  which  merely  divert  into  my 
coffers  the  proceeds  of  other  men's  efforts,  without  adding 
anything  to  the  sum-total  of  usable  wealth.  I  mean  to 
withdraw  from  all  such  monetary  acrobatics  and  utilize  my 
surplus  in  extending  my  estates,  in  buying  others,  in  cattle- 
breeding,  sheep-raising,  goat-herding,  and  in  the  cultivation 
of  olives,  vines,  and  other  such  remunerative  growths,  along 
with  wheat-farming.  Thus  I  will  add  to  the  resources  of 
the  Republic,  while  increasing  my  own  cash  income. 

"Our  conscientious  Prince  is  equally  correct  in  exhorting 
us  to  eschew  all  frivolities.  I'll  buy  no  more  gems.  Nay, 
I'll  auction  my  collection,  as  soon  as  Rome  recovers  its  calm 
and  purchasers  are  as  eager  as  last  year.  I'll  invest  the 
proceeds  in  productive  enterprise.  Thus,  as  Pertinax  says, 
I  shall  be  a  more  useful  citizen  and  an  even  happier  man." 

Actually  he  at  once  initiated  his  arrangements  for  closing 
out  the  speculative  ventures  which  he  controlled  and  for 
withdrawing  from  those  in  which  he  participated.  And  he 
bought  no  more  gems,  though  he  talked  gems  as  much  as 
previously,  or  even  more,  and  took  great  pride  in  showing 
visitors  over  his  collection  or  in  conning  his  treasures  in 
company  with  me  or  even  entirely  alone  by  himself. 

His  enthusiasm  for  Pertinax  grew  warmer  day  by  day 
and  he  talked  of  him,  praising  him,  lauded  him,  prophesied 
for  him  great  things  and  from  him  great  benefits  to  the 
Republic  and  the  Empire. 

The  alleged  conspiracy  against  Pertinax  of  Consul  Sosius 
Falco  and  his  disgrace  and  relegation  to  his  estates  was  a 
great  shock  to  my  master.  That  his  cousin  should  plot 
against  the  Prince  of  our  Republic,  or  lay  himself  open  to 
accusation  of  such  plotting,  appeared  to  him  hideous  and 
shameful.  He  felt  disgraced  himself,  as  bearing  the  same 
family  name.  He  gloomed  and  mourned  over  the  matter. 

The  murder  of  Pertinax,  by  his  own  guards,  on  the  fifth 
day  before  the  Kalends  of  April,  when  he  had  been  less 
than  three  months  Emperor,  was  even  a  more  violent  shock 
to  Falco,  who  was  crushed  with  horror  at  such  a  crime.  He 


ANXIETY  535 

was  even  more  horrified  at  the  arrogance  of  the  guilty  Prae- 
torians and  at  their  shameless  effrontery  in  offering  the 
Imperial  Purple  to  the  highest  bidder  and  in,  practically, 
selling  the  Principiate  to  so  bestial  a  Midas  as  Didius 
Julianus,  who,  of  all  the  senators,  seemed  most  to  misbecome 
the  Imperial  Dignity  and  who  had  nothing  to  recommend 
him  except  his  opulence. 

During  the  days  of  rioting  which  followed  the  murder  of 
Pertinax  we,  naturally,  kept  indoors.  When  the  disorders 
abated  and  the  streets  of  Rome  resumed  their  normal  ac- 
tivities, Falco  continued  to  remain  at  home.  I  expostulated 
with  him,  but  he  appeared,  suddenly,  a  changed  man,  as  if 
dazed  and  stunned  by  recent  events.  He,  who  had  been  con- 
tinually on  the  go,  living  in  a  round  of  social  pleasures,  be- 
came averse  to  much  of  what  he  had  before  revelled  in.  My 
most  ingenious  pleadings  were  required  to  induce  him  to 
go  to  the  Public  Baths,  which  fashionable  clubhouses  he 
had  frequented  every  afternoon  from  his  first  arrival  at 
Eome.  Until  the  death  of  Pertinax  he  had  only  very  occa- 
sionally dined  alone  with  me:  nearly  every  day  he  went  out 
to  a  formal  dinner  or  entertained  a  large  batch  of  guests 
at  a  lavish  banquet.  After  Pertinax's  murder  he  began  to 
refuse  invitations  to  dine  and  he  gave  fewer  dinners.  He 
spent  a  great  deal  of  his  time  with  his  lawyers  and  accoun- 
tants and  went  over  the  affairs  of  his  African  estates,  mi- 
nutely, one  by  one  and  all  of  them.  He  made  a  new  will 
and  told  me  of  it. 

"Phorbas,"  he  said,  "I  am  troubled  with  forebodings.  I 
have  never  thought  of  death  until  recently,  except  as  of 
something  far  off  and  to  be  considered  much  later:  since 
the  murder  of  our  good  Emperor  I  think  of  it  continually. 
If  I  live  long  enough  to  see  normal  conditions  restored  I 
shall  follow  the  suggestions  given  to  me  by  the  addresses 
of  Pertinax  and  shall  auction  my  gems.  Meanwhile  I  dread 
that  I  may  not  live  to  do  so.  Therefore  I  have  made  a  will 
leaving  my  entire  collection  to  you.  I  hereby  enjoin  you, 
should  you  come  into  possession  of  them,  to  sell  the  gems  at 
auction,  as  soon  as  you  see  fit,  and  to  invest  the  proceeds 


586  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

in  enterprises  which  shall  add  to  the  wealth  of  the  Republic. 
This  bequest  is  a  trust.  Besides  I  have,  as  in  former  wills, 
bequeathed  to  you  your  freedom,  and  a  legacy  sufficient  to 
make  you  comfortable  for  life.  Moreover  I  have  made  you 
the  heir  of  one-fourth  of  my  estate,  what  remains  of  it  after 
the  gem  collections  is  yours  and  all  specific  legacies  are 
paid.  I  do  not  love  my  nephews  and  cousins  and  have  be- 
queathed to  them  more  than  they  deserve;  as  to  the  toadies 
who  have  hung  about  me  and  fawned  on  me  in  the  hope  of 
legacies,  I  despise  them  all.  You  are  my  best  friend  and 
chief  heir." 

I  thanked  him  effusively  and  was  so  much  affected  that 
I  myself  began  to  have  uncomfortable,  vague  forebodings. 
Agathemer  happened  to  visit  me  and  I  confided  to  him  the 
contents  of  my  old  leather  amulet-bag.  Of  course  I  had  not 
worn  it  since  I  began  life  with  Falco,  as  a  greasy  old  amulet- 
bag  of  the  meanest  material  and  pattern  was  wholly  out  of 
keeping  with  the  character  I  had  assumed.  I  wore  instead 
a  flat  locket  of  pure  gold,  containing  a  talisman  from  the 
Pontic  fastnesses.  I  had  kept  my  share  of  our  mountain 
trove  of  stolen  jewels,  not  needing  to  part  with  any  after 
Falco  bought  me  and  unconcerned  for  the  gems,  as  I  now 
needed  no  such  store  of  savings.  Now,  suddenly,  I  felt  un- 
easy about  myself,  my  future  and  my  possessions.  These 
jewels  I  therefore  placed  in  Agathemer's  keeping,  sure  that 
they  would  be  safer  with  him  than  with  me  and  certain  that 
he  could  realize  on  them  quickly  and  transmit  to  me 
promptly  whatever  sums  I  might  need. 

I  did  all  I  could  to  rouse  Falco  from  his  lethargy  and 
succeeded  to  some  extent.  But,  all  through  April  and  May, 
he  went  out  little,  accepted  few  invitations  and  gave  few 
dinners.  Much  of  his  time  he  spent  among  his  jewels,  con- 
ning them,  handling  them,  taking  curios  from  their  cases 
and,  as  it  were,  caressing  them.  The  rooms  which  held 
them  were  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  peristyle  on  the  upper 
floor,  across  the  court  from  my  apartment  and  not  precisely 
opposite  it.  There  were  three  rooms ;  the  larger  with  a  door 
on  the  gallery,  and  a  smaller  on  either  side  of  it,  opening 


ANXIETY  537 

from  it  and  lit  by  windows  towards  the  gallery.  Each  room 
had  a  marble  table  in  the  middle,  small  and  round  in  both 
side  cabinets,  rectangular  and  large  in  the  main  room.  Each 
of  the  three  rooms  was  walled  with  cases  and  shelves;  on 
the  shelves  were  displayed  his  larger  curios,  vases,  cameos, 
intaglios,  plaques,  murrhine  bowls  and  such  like ;  in  the  cases 
were  necklaces,  bracelets,  rings,  seals  and  trays  of  unset  gems 
of  all  sorts  and  sizes.  Here  Falco  spent  hours  each  day, 
gloating  over  his  treasures. 

"Phorbas,"  he  said,  "I  am  resolute  never  to  buy  another 
gem,  equally  resolute  to  auction  all  I  have  whenever  condi- 
tions make  a  profitable  sale  probable.  Yet,  although  I  feel 
that  I  shall  never  live  to  see  them  auctioned,  the  very  thought 
of  parting  with  them  cuts  me  to  the  quick.  I  am  almost  in 
tears  to  think  of  it.  I  love  every  piece  I  own.  I  hate  to 
think  I  must  either  live  to  see  them  sold  or  die  and  leave 
them.  I  cannot  be  with  them  enough  of  my  time.  I  could 
spend  all  my  waking  hours  enjoying  their  loveliness  and 
my  luck  in  owning  them/' 

I  thought  this  condition  of  mind  positively  unhealthy  and 
consulted  Galen. 

"You  are  right/'  he  said,  "and  you  are  wrong  too.  Your 
master  is  badly  shaken  by  the  horrors  of  this  appalling  year, 
but  he  is  not  deranged  nor,  at  this  present  time,  in  any 
more  danger  of  derangement  than  most  of  the  senators  and 
nobles  with  whom  he  associates.  Yet  you  are  correct  in  be- 
ing uneasy.  Don't  antagonize  him,  but  do  all  you  can,  tact- 
fully and  unobtrusively,  to  keep  him  away  from  those  jewels 
and  to  get  him  out  to  the  Baths  of  Titus  or  to  dinners.  Do 
your  utmost  to  induce  him  to  entertain.  A  jolly  dinner 
with  a  bevy  of  jovial  guests  will  be  the  very  medicine  for 
him." 

Had  I  been  a  Greek  I  could  not  have  been  more  wily  or 
more  successful.  He  spent  less  time  with  his  gems,  went 
out  to  the  Baths  oftener,  accepted  some  dinner  invitations 
and  gave  a  few  dinners.  He  even  took  some  interest  in  pre- 
paring for  these  and  in  giving  orders  about  them.  He  had 
five  complete  sets  of  silverware  for  his  triclinium  and  had  a 


5S8  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

fancy  for  using  this  or  that  set,  according  to  the  characters 
of  his  prospective  guests. 

Early  in  May  he  had  invited  a  carefully  selected  company 
of  concordant  guests,  three  senators  and  the  rest  nobles 
like  himself,  and  was  anticipating  a  delightful  evening.  He 
had  bidden  me  to  see  to  the  selection  of  the  flowers  for  dec- 
orating the  triclinium,  for  the  garlands,  and  for  sprinkling 
on  the  floor;  to  choose  the  wines  I  thought  would  be  most 
appropriate  and  to  have  brought  out  and  used  his  most 
prized  set  of  silver,  the  work  of  Corinnos  of  Rhodes,  em- 
bossed with  scenes  from  Ovid's  Metamorphoses  and  acclaimed 
one  of  the  finest  services  in  Rome.  Besides  the  two  tall 
mixing-bowls  for  tempering  the  wine  before  serving  it,  the 
set  had  four  smaller  ones,  about  the  size  of  well-buckets, 
and  much  like  them,  for  each  was  provided  with  two  hinged 
handles,  just  like  a  water-pail.  I  saw  to  the  polishing  of 
every  piece  in  this  magnificent  service,  to  their  proper  dis- 
posal, to  the  decoration  of  the  triclinium  with  flowers,  verified 
the  wines  I  had  chosen,  inspected  every  detail  of  the  prepara- 
tions for  the  feast,  and,  just  before  the  first  guest  might  be 
expected  to  arrive,  went  out  and  back  into  the  kitchen  to 
make  sure  that  every  dish  of  each  course  was  being  properly 
prepared  and  that  nothing  would  be  lacking. 

When  I  returned  to  the  triclinium  I  found  it  swept  clean 
of  silver,  except  the  two  big  wine  mixers.  The  four  two- 
handled  pails  were  gone  and  with  them  the  salt-cellars,  the 
wine  strainers,  every  soup-spoon,  every  oyster-spoon,  in  fact 
every  small  piece,  to  the  last.  The  thieves  must  have  been 
deft,  agile  and  keen,  for  nothing  was  overset  or  disturbed 
and  I  had  heard  no  noise. 

I  rushed  to  the  house-door,  found  it  ajar  and,  each  sleep- 
ing in  his  cell,  on  the  one  side  the  snoring  janitor,  on  the 
other  our  fat,  pursy,  overfed  watchdog. 

I  omit  my  hasty  measures  for  pursuing  the  thieves  and 
attempting  their  capture  or  at  least  the  recovery  of  their 
booty;  and  my  urgent  and  important  efforts  to  arrange  that 
our  guests  should  be  properly  received  and  the  dinner  should 
not  be  spoiled.  Towards  this  last  I  did  what  could  be  done 


ANXIETY  539 

and  with  fair  success,  Falco  playing  up  to  my  suggestions 
and  dissimulating  his  chagrin. 

More  important  to  record  was  his  amazing  indifference 
to  his  loss.  Not  that  he  did  not  feel  it  acutely,  but  that  he 
seemed  to  feel  no  proper  indignation  against  those  at  fault. 

He  questioned  the  janitor  and  all  the  slaves  concerned, 
but  instead  of  ordering  scourged  the  two  servitors  whom  I 
had  left  in  the  triclinium  when  I  went  out  of  it  to  visit  the 
kitchen  and  who  should  have  remained  there  until  my  re- 
turn, he  merely  reprimanded  them  mildly.  He  did  not  so 
much  as  have  the  undutiful  janitor  flogged,  let  alone  sent 
away  for  sale.  He  even  laughed  at  the  luck,  alertness,  dex- 
terity and  swiftness  of  the  thieves;  picturing  their  glance 
into  the  unshut  door,  their  glances  up  and  down  the  street, 
their  eyeings  of  the  watchdog  and  janitor,  their  noiseless 
dash  into  the  atrium,  their  invasion  of  the  triclinium,  their 
gathering  of  the  smaller  pieces  into  the  four  handled  wine- 
mixers,  and  their  escape,  each  with  two  silver  pails  stuffed 
with  goblets,  salt-cellars,  and  bowls  and,  brimming  with 
strainers,  spoons  and  other  small  pieces. 

He  commented  on  their  luck  in  not  encountering  any 
of  his  approaching  guests. 

"Mercury,"  he  said,  "to  whom  you  chiefly  pray,  must  have 
been  good  to  them,  as  his  votaries." 

I  was  horrified  at  the  levity  of  his  attitude  of  mind. 
When  we  were  alone  I  remonstrated  with  him,  saying  that 
such  leniency  was  certain  to  demoralize  his  household; 
would  ruin  any  set  of  slaves.  I  told  him  that  his  retention 
of  the  janitor  after  Agathemer^s  unnoticed  entrance  on  the 
first  day  of  the  year  was  bad  enough,  far  worse  was  it  to 
condone  a  second  lapse,  and  that  having  had  consequences 
so  serious.  I  expostulated  that  it  was  madness  to  entrust 
his  housedoor  to  a  watchman  already  twice  caught  asleep  at 
his  post.  I  reminded  him  of  the  cash  value  of  his  gem- 
collection  and  of  its  value  in  his  eyes,  not  to  be  reckoned  in 
cash.  He  listened  indulgently  and  said : 

"I  thank  you,  Phorbas.  All  you  say  is  true.  And,  any 
time  last  year,  I  should  have  sold  that  janitor  without  a 


540  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

thought,  after  your  information  against  him  last  January. 
But,  somehow,  since  the  murder  of  Commodus,  yet  more 
•since  the  murder  of  Pertinax,  I  seem  less  prone  to  severity 
and  more  inclined  to  mercy.  The  waiter-boys  deserve  flog- 
ging, but  I  cannot  harden  my  heart  and  order  it.  The  jan- 
itor merits  being  sold  without  a  character,  after  a  severe 
scourging;  yet  I  feel  for  him,  too.  Fll  give  him  another 
chance." 

I  could  not  move  him. 

I  again  consulted  Galen: 

"You  are  right  I9'  he  exclaimed.  "A  Roman  nobleman  who 
hesitates  to  have  his  slaves  flogged  or  sold  and  merely  repri- 
mands them,  is  certainly  deranged.  Any  natural  Roman 
would  insist  on  scourgings  and  even  severer  punishments. 
But  his  eccentricity  is  not  dangerous  to  him  or  anybody  as 
yet.  Humor  him,  do  not  oppose  his  worship  of  his  treas- 
ures, but  entice  him  away  from  them  all  you  can  by  devices 
he  does  not  suspect. 

"And  let  me  add,  keep  away  from  me,  for  your  own  sake. 
Keep  away  from  Vedia  and  Tanno  and  Agathemer.  Do 
not  write  letters.  True,  Julianus  has  put  Marcia  to  death 
and  you  are  rid  of  a  pertinacious  and  alert  enemy.  But  he 
has  recalled  into  favor  most  of  the  professional  informers 
who  flourished  under  Commodus  and  they  are  on  the  watch 
for  victims  to  win  them  praise  and  rewards.  Several  of 
the  exiles  recalled  by  Pertinax  have  been  rearrested  and  re- 
banished  or  even  executed  since  Julianus  came  into  power. 
Keep  close  and  beware!" 

CHAPTER  XXXVII 

ACCUSATION 

THE  murder  or  assassination  or  execution  of  Julianus 
on  the  Kalends  of  June  shocked  Falco  even  more  than 
the  deaths  of  Commodus  and  Pertinax.     As  the  June  days 
passed  I  had  to  exercise  my  greatest  adroitness  to  keep  him 
from  spending  all  his  waking  hours  indoors,  chiefly  in  moping 


ACCUSATION  541 

about  his  collection  of  gems.  I  did  pretty  well  with  him, 
for  I  wheedled  him  into  going  to  the  Baths  of  Titus  three 
afternoons  out  of  four,  into  going  out  to  dine  one  evening 
in  three,  and  I  even  induced  him  to  give  several  formal  din- 
ners, each  of  which  was  a  great  success. 

But,  if  I  left  him  to  himself,  I  invariably  found  him 
glooming  over  the  gems  which  no  longer  gave  him  any  real 
pleasure.  And  I  could  not  blame  him.  Indoors  one  felt 
reasonably  safe  in  Rome  that  June,  for  no  residences  had 
been  broken  into  anywhere  in  the  city,  though  many  shops 
had  been  looted  and  some  burnt.  But,  in  the  streets,  the 
insolence  of  the  Praetorians  was  unendurable  and  their  un- 
bridled license  and  arrogance  terrorized  the  entire  popu- 
lation, especially  the  upper  classes.  Going  anywhere  in 
broad  daylight  was  dangerous,  even  going  to  the  Baths  of 
Titus  from  the  Esquiline  was  risky.  Anyone  like  FalcG 
was  certain  to  feel  safer  indoors.  And  the  tense  uncertainty 
of  those  twenty-four  days  made  everybody  restless,  feverish, 
fidgety  and  morose:  civil  war  between  Severus  and  Pescen- 
nius  Niger,  lord  of  the  East,  was  inevitable.  How  Clodius 
Albinus,  in  control  of  Gaul,  Spain  and  Britain,  would  act, 
was  problematical.  We  were  all  keyed-up,  apprehensive  and 
wretched. 

Our  suspense  was  shorter  since  it  turned  out  that  Severus- 
had  made  up  his  mind  and  begun  to  make  his  rapid  and 
effective  arrangements  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  the  murder 
of  Pertinax.  Pertinax  was  murdered  on  the  fifth  day  be- 
fore the  Kalends  of  April  and  so  swiftly  travelled  the  im- 
perial couriers  who  were  his  friends  and  who  arranged  to 
set  out  at  once  and  carry  Severus  the  news,  that  the  first 
of  them  rode  more  than  eight  hundred  miles  in  eight  days 
and  reached  him  at  Caruntum  in  Pannonia  on  the  Nones- 
of  April.  Severus  was  cautious,  kept  secret  what  he  had 
heard  and  moved  seventy-two  miles  nearer  Eome  to  Sabaria 
in  Pannonia,  where,  after  the  news  was  confirmed  beyond 
question,  he  harangued  the  soldiers  and  was  by  them  saluted 
Emperor  on  the  Ides  of  April.  At  once  he  assured  himself 
of  the  support  or  acquiescence  of  his  officers  and  won  over 


542  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  local  authorities  and  garrisons  all  over  Illyricum,  Nori- 
cum  and  Bhsetia.  Bands  of  his  most  trusted  soldiers  set 
off  towards  Home  by  every  road.  He  gathered  his  forces, 
made  sure  of  their  loyalty  and  began  his  march.  He  was 
already  at  Aquileia  when  the  news  of  the  death  of  Julianus 
reached  him  there  on  the  Nones  of  June.  He  marched 
straight  to  Eome  and  on  the  tenth  day  before  the  Kalends  of 
July,  the  day  of  the  summer  solstice,  was  outside  the  city, 
accompanied  by  the  delegation  of  senators  who  had  met  him 
at  Interamnia  and  surrounded  by  the  six  hundred  picked  men 
who  acted  as  his  personal  guards,  who,  it  was  rumored,  had 
not  taken  off  their  corselets  day  nor  night  since  they  left 
Sabaria. 

The  next  day,  the  ninth  day  before  the  Kalends  of  July, 
we  heard  with  amazement  that  the  Praetorians  had  been 
cowed,  had  surrendered  their  standards  to  Severus  and  had 
been  disarmed.  Certainly  knots  of  them  hung  about  the 
streets  and  squares,  all  in  ordinary  tunics  and  rain  hats, 
shorn  of  their  uniforms  as  well  as  of  their  weapons,  and 
looking  not  only  humbled  but  frightened.  It  was  rumored 
that  all  of  those  directly  concerned  with  the  murder  of 
Pertinax  had  been  not  only  disarmed  and  stripped  of  their 
uniforms,  but  actually  stripped  naked  and  scourged  out  of 
the  camp  by  the  Illyrian  legionaries  who  had  surrounded 
and  cowed  them,  and  ordered  to  flee  the  neighborhood  of 
Eome  and  never  again  to  approach  within  a  hundred  miles 
of  the  capitol. 

From  noon  of  that  day  the  whole  city  was  in  a  ferment, 
preparing  for  the  entry  on  the  morrow  of  our  new  Emperor. 
This  was  acclaimed  the  most  magnificent  spectacle  ever  be- 
held in  Eome;  certainly  I  was  never  spectator  of  anything 
so  impressive.  The  day  was  fair,  almost  cloudless,  mild 
and  warm,  but  pleasant  with  a  gentle  breeze.  From  where 
Falco  and  I  viewed  the  procession,  nearer  the  Forum,  we 
gazed  about  on  a  wondrous  picture :  the  blue  sky  above,  under 
it  a  frame  of  roofs,  mostly  of  red  tiles,  some  of  green  weath- 
ered bronze  among  them  giving  variety,  and  here  and  there 


ACCUSATION  543 

a  temple  roof  of  silver  gleaming  in  the  sun,  not  a  few  gilded 
and  flashing. 

As  far  as  we  could  see  about  us  every  balcony  was  hung 
with  tapestries  gay  with  particolored  patterns,  every  door- 
way and  window  was  wreathed  in  flowers,  countless  braziers 
sent  up  columns  of  scented  smoke.  The  streets  were  lined 
with  throngs  habited  in  togas  newly  whitened;  spectators  of 
both  sexes,  the  men  in  white  togas,  their  women  in  the 
brightest  silks,  crowded  every  window,  loggia,  balcony,  roof, 
and  other  viewpoint.  The  chattering  of  the  crowds  ceased 
when  the  head  of  the  procession  appeared,  and,  in  a  breath- 
less hush,  we  saw  leading  it  on  horseback,  with  two  mounted 
aides,  Flavius  Juvenalis,  who  had  been  third  and  last  Prefect 
of  the  PraBtorium  to  Julianus  and  who,  as  an  honorable 
gentleman  and  loyal  official,  had  been  confirmed  and  con- 
tinued in  this  post  by  Severus.  Behind  him  tramped,  in 
serried  ranks,  an  entire  legion  of  the  Pannonian  troops,  in 
full  armor  with  their  great  shields  gleaming  and  the  sun 
sparkling  on  their  gilded  helmets  and  their  spear-points. 

Behind  them  came  ten  of  the  elephants  with  which 
Julianus,  in  his  futile,  bungling  attempts  at  preparations 
for  resistance,  had  had  some  of  his  men  drill.  Each  now 
carried  in  his  tower  eight  Danubians,  four  tall  Dacian  spear- 
men and  four  Scythian  archers,  bow  in  hand,  leaning  over 
the  edge  of  the  howdah. 

Behind  the  elephants  came  Norican  legonaries  carrying  the 
surrendered  standards  of  the  disbanded  Praetorian  Guard; 
not  held  aloft,  but  trailed,  half  inverted. 

Then,  amid  roars  of  cheers,  came  Severus  himself,  habited 
not  in  his  general's  regalia,  but  in  the  gorgeous  Imperial 
robes,  as  if  already  in  the  Palace  and  about  to  give  a  public 
levee.  Though  thus  clad  as  in  time  of  peace  and  walking  all 
the  way  on  foot,  he  was  hedged  about  by  his  faithful  six 
hundred,  every  man  stepping  alertly,  helmet-plumes  waving, 
helmets  glittering,  shields  gleaming,  spear-points  asparkle, 
kilt-straps  flapping,  scabbards  clanking,  a  grim  advertisement 
of  irresistible  power. 


544  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

After  this  guard  walked  our  entire  Senate,,  and,  as  the 
Emperor  and  Senate  acknowledged  the  acclamations  of  the 
onlookers,  passing  amid  thunders  of  cheering,  behind  we  saw 
a  long  serpent  ribbon  of  Illyrian  legionaries,  every  man  fully 
armed  and  armored  as  for  instant  battle,  their  even  tramp 
sounding  grim  and  monotonous  when  the  cheerers  paused 
for  breath,  their  resistless  might  manifest.  Indubitably 
Rome  belonged  to  Severus,  he  was  our  master. 

Falco,  hopeful,  yet  awed,  said  little.  Once  inside  his 
housewalls  he  fled  to  his  beloved  gems  and  solaced  himself 
with  them  till  it  was  time  for  his  bath,  which  he  took  in 
his  private  bathrooms.  He  and  I  dined  alone  and  talked 
chiefly  of  our  hopes  of  the  new  Emperor.  Falco  particularly 
remarked  his  appearance  of  hard  commonsense,  ruthless  de- 
cision and  flinty  resolve. 

Next  day,  soon  after  dawn,  we  heard  many  rumors  of 
disorders  by  the  Illyrian  troops,  of  their  having  used  temples 
for  barracks  that  night,  of  cook-shops  forced  to  feed  them 
without  payment,  of  shops  plundered  and  pedestrians  robbed. 
Naturally  the  entire  household  kept  indoors,  except  such 
slaves  as  went  out  for  fresh  vegetables,  fruits  and  fish.  I 
solaced  myself  by  reading  the  Tragedies  of  Ennius.  I  read 
parts  of  his  Hector,  Achilles,  Neoptolemus,  Ajax  and 
Andromache,  with  much  emotion,  and  especially  the  Beller- 
ophon,  forgetting  everything  else.  Then  I  slept  until  late 
in  the  afternoon. 

Waking  I  bathed  unhurriedly  and  then  went  to  call  Falco, 
who  liked  to  bathe  at  the  last  possible  moment  before  dinner. 
I  walked  round  the  rear  gallery  of  the  peristyle,  sure  of 
finding  him  among  his  jewels.  The  door  of  the  middle 
room  was  not  shut,  and  barely  ajar.  Against  the  sill  of  the 
door,  on  the  brown  and  white  mosaic  pavement  of  the  gal- 
lery, a  glint  of  color  caught  my  eye.  I  stooped  and  picked 
up  a  fine  uncut  emerald,  one  of  Falco's  chief  treasures. 

A  qualm  of  apprehension  shot  through  me.  I  pushed  the 
door,  entered  and  swept  the  room  with  a  glance.  A  con- 
fusion of  jewel- trays  cluttered  the  floor,  no  sign  of  Falco. 


ACCUSATION  545 

Nor  was  he  in  the  left-hand  room,  which  had  been  similarly 
rifled. 

But,  when  I  turned  and  peered  through  the  right-hand  in- 
ner door  I  saw,  across  the  marble  center-table,  horridly 
sprawled,  what  I  instantly  knew  for  his  corpse,  so  unmis- 
takably did  the  head  hang  loose,  the  arms  dangle,  the  legs 
trail:  he  was  manifestly  a  corpse,  even  without  sight  of  the 
dagger-hilt  projecting  from  his  back. 

I  rushed  to  him  and  touched  him. 

He  was  yet  warm,  the  blood  still  trickled  from  about  the 
dagger,  driven  deep  under  the  left  shoulder  blade,  slanting 
upwards,  the  very  stroke  Agathemer  had  drilled  me  in  early 
in  our  flight,  the  stroke  with  which  I  had  slaughtered  two  of 
the  five  bullies  at  Nona's  hut! 

I  plucked  out  the  dagger,  gazing  at  it  in  horror. 

As  I  did  so  I  heard  footsteps  behind  me  and  turned  to 
face  Casperius  Asellio,  and  Vespronius  Lustralis,  two  of  the 
most  persistent  of  the  toadies  who  hung  about  Falco,  both 
of  whom  hated  me  consumedly. 

In  a.  flash  I  realized  my  situation.  Had  I  been  a  freeman 
I  should  have  been  commiserated  by  all  as  a  gentleman  who 
had  had  the  misfortune  to  find  his  best  friend  foully  mur- 
dered; as  a  slave  I  would  be  assumed  by  all  Rome  to  have 
been  caught  in  the  act  of  assassinating  my  kind  and  indul- 
gent master;  and,  recalling  Tanno's  invectives  against  me  at 
my  last  dinner  at  Villa  Andivia,  I  knew  I  was  liable  to  be 
tortured  until  I  confessed  my  guilt ! 

Asellio  and  Lustralis  flung  themselves  on  me  with  execra- 
tions and  their  yells  brought  the  entire  household.  My  prot- 
estations were  unheeded.  No  one  would  listen  to  my  valet's 
assertion  that  he  had  found  the  janitor  asleep  in  his  cell 
and  roused  him  just  before  Lustralis  and  Asellio  reached 
the  entrance,  that  he  had  but  just  finished  dressing  me  when 
he  went  down  to  the  vestibule.  No  one  heeded  my  denials 
or  my  urgings  that  I  could  not  have  rifled  the  collection, 
that  the  looters  and  the  murderers  must  be  the  same  indi- 
viduals, that  I  was  clearly  innocent.  Asellio  and  Lustralis 


546  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

not  merely  seized  me,  but  rained  blows  on  me.  I  knew  I 
could  knock  both  senseless  without  half  trying,  but,  in  my 
character  of  effeminate  oriental  exquisite,  I  must  not  adver- 
tise my  real  strength.  I  struggled,  but  half-heartedly. 

The  house-boys  and  any  of  Falco's  retinue  who  could  reach 
me,  thumped  me  and  mauled  me.  I  was  horrified  to  realize 
all  of  a  sudden  that  those  who  had  made  most  of  me  had 
always  envied  me  in  secret;  that,  to  a  man,  they  hated  me; 
that  each  and  all  would  use  every  effort  to  ensure  my  ruin; 
that  I  had  to  face  perjury,  unanimous  perjury,  gushing 
from  an  abundant  well-head  of  malignity,  spite,  and  enmity. 
My  valet  alone  seemed  on  my  side,  and  he  could  assist  me 
not  at  all. 

I  was  bound  with  ropes  knotted  till  my  hands  and  feet 
swelled,  till  the  cords  cut  into  my  flesh.  I  was  abused,  my 
clothing  torn  till  I  was  half  naked.  I  was  whacked  and 
clawed  till  I  was  bleeding  in  a  dozen  places;  I  was  reviled, 
jeered  at  and  threatened.  Trussed  like  a  fowl  to  be  roasted, 
I  was  half  hustled  half  dragged,  almost  carried,  down  into 
the  courtyard.  From  there,  after  no  long  wait,  I  was  haled 
off  to  the  slaves'  prison  in  the  Slave-Dealers'  Exchange  next 
the  Slave-Market.  There  I  was  released  from  my  bonds, 
heavy  shackles  were  riveted  on  my  ankles  and  I  was  cast  into 
the  lower  dungeon. 

I  had  had  time  to  tell  Dromo,  my  faithful  valet,  to  inform 
Agathemer.  I  knew  he,  in  turn,  would  inform  Tanno  and 
Vedia.  I  was  certain  that  they  would  do  all  that  they  could. 
But  I  dreaded  that  they  could  do  nothing.  I  was  despondent, 
despairing.  Actually,  Dromo  must  have  been  clever,  prompt 
and  judicious,  and  Agathemer  equally  quick  and  resourceful, 
with  the  fullest  possible  help  from  Tanno  and  Vedia,  and 
they  must  have  taxed  to  the  utmost  their  influence  and 
their  means. 

After  a  night  almost  sleepless  I  was  visited  at  dawn  by 
no  less  a  person  than  Galen  himself. 

"My  boy/'  he  said,  "you  are  in  a  terrible  situation  and 
we  were  in  a  quandary  how  to  advise  you.  But,  after  much 
discussion,  we  are  agreed  that  you  have  some  chance  of  life 


ACCUSATION  547 

as  Phorbas  the  slave,  accused  of  murdering  his  master, 
whereas  you  have  no  chance  at  all  as  Andivius  Hedulio, 
proscribed  along  with  Egnatius  Capito.  Our  new  Emperor 
seems  to  feel  that  all  enemies  of  former  Princes  are  foes  of 
his;  he  seems  to  have  ordered  his  agents  to  be  on  the  lookout 
for  all  living  persons  accused,  relegated,  or  banished  under 
Julianus,  Pertinax  and  Commodus.  Those  taken  in  Koine 
have  been  promptly  executed.  By  all  means,  whatever  hap- 
pens to  you,  whatever  threatens  you,  give  no  hint  that  you 
are  Andivius  Hedulio.  Endure  what  befalls  and  hope  for  life 
and  safety  and  ultimate  rehabilitation. 

"Of  course  I  can  see  you  as  often  as  I  please  without 
exciting  any  suspicion.  You  were,  while  yourself  and  pros- 
perous, only  one  of  my  countless  patients,  never  among  those 
I  made  much  of.  You,  as  Phorbas,  have  been  under  my 
special  care,  as  the  darling  of  poor  Falco,  who  was  one  of 
my  best  friends,  though  I  had  known  him  so  short  a  time. 
My  visits  here  cannot  prejudice  your  welfare  and  may  help 
you,  even  save  you. 

"Cheer  up!  Agathemer  says  that  the  real  murderers  are 
certain  to  betray  themselves  by  attempting  to  dispose  of  some 
of  the  stolen  gems.  He  is  right.  And  he  had  taken  meas- 
ures to  ensnare  them.  He  has  warned  or  is  warning  every 
gem-dealer  in  Borne,  from  Orontides  himself  down  to  the 
most  disreputable  scoundrel  who  makes  a  living  by  exchang- 
ing his  cash  for  stolen  gems.  He  has  sent  off  despatches  al- 
ready along  many  postroads,  by  the  couriers  who  set  out 
at  dawn,  notifying  all  gem-dealers  in  the  towns  along  these 
roads  to  be  on  the  watch  for  the  miscreants.  He  will  con- 
tinue this  until  the  warning  is  all  over  Italy  from  Rhegium 
and  Brundisium  to  the  Alps,  and  that  within  a  few  days. 
Those  precious  gentry  are  certain  to  be  nabbed  either  in 
Rome  or  elsewhere.  Whenever  they  are  identified  and  in 
durance  it  will  be  easy  to  clear  you. 

"Meanwhile  you  will  be  tried  as  a  slave  accused  of  mur- 
dering his  master  and  the  investigation  will  include  the 
questioning  of  every  slave  in  the  house  at  the  time  of  the 
murder.  I  know  you  are  aquiver  with  dread  of  torture; 


548  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

there  will  be  torture,  but  I  assure  you  you  will  not  be  tortured. 
As  much  can  be  done  today  by  influence  and  bribery  as  could 
be  done  under  Perennis  or  Oleander,  only  it  cannot  be  done 
so  crudely  and  openly,  and  much  else  can  be  done  openly. 

"We  have  endeavored  to  arrange  to  have  you  tried  by  a 
bunch  of  jurymen  presided  over  by  a  praetor,  just  as  if  you 
were  a  freeman,  according  to  Hadrian's  law.  But  Corn- 
modus  had  repealed  all  such  laws  mitigating  the  rigors  of 
procedure  in  the  case  of  slaves  and  Severus  has  not  had 
them  reenacted.  So  you  will  be  tried  by  a  magistrate,  a 
deputy  of  the  Prefect  of  the  City,  as  slaves  were  tried  before 
Hadrian's  time. 

"We  shall  have,  at  the  trial,  to  cheer  you  up,  to  counsel 
you,  and,  if  necessary,  to  intervene  in  your  behalf,  as  clever 
an  advocate  as  any  in  Eome.  Keep  up  a  good  heart,  and 
read  these  letters/' 

And  he  went  off. 

I  had  a  proof  of  the  truth  of  what  he  said  of  bribery 
within  half  an  hour,  for  I  was  bathed,  my  hurts  dressed, 
and  I  was  clothed  in  new,  clean  and  comfortable  garments 
and  served  with  abundant  eatable  food  and  good  wine. 

I  had  promptly  read  the  letters. 

Agathemer's  Galen  had  anticipated,  mostly.  Besides 
briefly  telling  me  of  his  measures  for  detecting  the  murderers, 
and  prophesying  their  success,  he  assured  me  of  his  devo- 
tion and  alertness  to  take  advantage  of  any  chance  to  help 
me. 

Tanno  pledged  me  his  utmost  efforts  to  assist  me,  and 
emphasized  his  hope  that  the  influences  which  he  and 
Vedia  could  enlist  in  my  behalf  and  the  cash  at  their  dis- 
posal would  protect  me  from  the  worst  horrors  of  trial  as 
a  slave  and  would  ultimately  clear  me  and  free  me  from 
danger. 

Vedia  wrote: 

"The  Leopard-Tamer's  bride  gives  greeting  to  the  Leopard- 
Tamer.  Keep  up  your  courage!  Do  not  be  despondent, 
but  have  a  hopeful  heart.  All  that  gold,  all  that  influence 
can  do  for  you,  shall  be  done.  Cheer  up!  You  will  live 


ACCUSATION  549 

to  see  yourself  a  free  man,  unsmirched  by  any  accusation, 
you  and  I  will  be  married  and  live  many  years  of  happiness 
afterwards :  Farewell." 

Investigations  of  murders  are  prompt  in  Eome  and  trials 
of  accused  slaves  quickly  disposed  of.  Before  the  next  morn- 
ing was  half  way  to  noon,  on  the  fifth  day  before  the  Ides 
of  July,  I  found  myself,  still  shackled,  but  well  fed  and  well 
clad,  in  the  Basilica  Sempronia,  before  the  magistrate 
charged  with  deciding  such  cases.  He  turned  out  to  be 
young  Lollius  Corbulo,  whom  I  had  not  set  eyes  on  until  he 
came  to  know  me  as  Phorbas,  for  he  was  an  art  amateur  of 
high  standing,  considering  his  youth. 

I  never  have  discovered  how  much  he  was  influenced  by 
his  natural  kindliness  of  disposition,  how  much  by  personal 
regard  for  me,  how  much  by  Tanno,  acting  for  himself  and 
Vedia,  whether  he  had  been  bribed  or  not.  He,  when  I 
questioned  him  in  after  years,  passed  it  off  with  a  smile  say- 
ing that  anyone  would  accept  a  gift  on  condition  of  doing 
what  he  meant  to  do  uninfluenced,  that  no  one  needed  a  gift 
to  make  him  do  the  right  thing.  From  Agathemer,  Tanno 
and  Vedia  I  have  never  been  able  to  extract  any  admissions 
as  to  their  activities  in  my  behalf.  Anyhow  Corbulo  gave 
a  demonstration  of  the  great  latitude  which  is  permitted 
both  by  law  and  custom  to  such  a  magistrate  in  such  a  case. 
He  ordered  my  shackles  removed,  and,  while  they  were  being 
filed  through,  sent  off  three  of  his  apparitors  in  charge  of 
Dromo  to  fetch  some  of  my  own  garments  from  my  apart- 
ments in  Falco's  house. 

He  went  about  his  investigation  like  a  fair-minded  man 
who  meant  to  favor  no  one  and  to  ferret  out  the  exact  truth. 

Corbulo  in  his  full  senatorial  attire,  the  broad  crimson 
stripe  more  conspicuous  than  the  white  of  his  toga,  sat  in 
his  chair  at  the  center  of  the  apse  of  the  basilica,  his  ap- 
paritors behind  him.  In  the  nave  of  the  basilica,  surrounded 
by  guards,  were  herded  those  members  of  Falco's  retinue  who 
had  been  in  his  house  at  the  time  of  his  murder.  Further 
down  the  nave  were  many  outsiders,  come  to  listen  to  the 
trial.  In  the  aisles  were  gathered  hangers-on  of  the  court 


550  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

In  the  apse,  to  the  left  and  right  of  the  tribunal,  stood  many 
of  Falco's  friends,  among  whom  I  recognized  Casperius 
Asellio  and  Vespronius  Lustralis.  Among  those  on  the  other 
side  of  the  magistrate  were  Tanno  and  Galen. 

The  bare,  bleak  interior  of  the  ancient,  old-fashioned 
basilica,  with  its  blackened  roof-beams,  unadorned  walls, 
Travertine  columns  of  the  severest  Tuscan  pattern,  and  plain 
window-lattices,  made  an  austere  setting  for  the  trial.  I 
saw  nowhere  any  rack,  winches,  horse,  or  any  other  engine 
or  torture;  but,  while  Dromo  was  gone,  four  muscular 
court-slaves  came  tramping  in,  each  supporting  a  pole  end. 
The  two  long  poles  were  passed  through  the  four  ear-handles 
of  a  bronze  brazier  all  of  five  feet  square,  level  full  of  glow- 
ing charcoal,  the  brilliant  bed  of  coals  radiating  an  intense 
heat  perceptible  as  they  passed  near  me.  When  they  had 
set  it  down  in  full  view  of  all  and  near  the  tribunal  one  of 
them  shook  out  and  folded  four-thick  a  thin  Spanish  blanket 
of  harsh  wiry  wool  and  spread  the  square  of  it  by  the  brazier, 
squatting  on  it  to  tend  the  coals  with  a  long-handled  five 
pronged  altar-hook. 

When  Dromo  returned  with  my  garments  and  I  was  clad 
as  Phorbas,  Corbulo  questioned  me  as  to  when  Falco  had 
bought  me,  where  and  from  whom.  To  my  relief  he  did  not 
ask  me  how  Rufius  Libo  had  acquired  me.  He  did  ask  my 
age,  but  nothing  else  concerning  my  past.  As  to  my  life 
with  Falco  in  Africa  and  at  Rome,  he  questioned  me  closely. 
I  told  him  all  about  Falco's  character,  his  gem-collecting,  the 
effect  on  him  of  the  murders  of  Commodus  and  Pertinax, 
his  forebodings  and  his  utterances  to  me  about  his  will. 
When  he  felt  that  he  knew  all  I  had  to  tell  along  these  lines, 
he  said: 

"Now  tell  me  your  version  of  your  master's  death/' 

He  heard  me  out  and  said: 

"I  believe  you.     You  speak  like  a  truth-teller/5 

He  then  questioned  the  janitor,  who  babbled  and  cringed, 
half  unintelligibly,  but  stoutly  denying  that  he  had  slept  at 
his  post  on  the  seventh  day  before  the  Kalends  of  July. 


ACCUSATION  551 

"I  am  of  the  opinion,"  said  Corbulo,  drily,  "that  you  are 
lying." 

Then  to  his  apparitors  he  said: 

"Strip  him." 

The  court-slave,  the  charcoal-tender,  stood  up  off  his  folded 
blanket  and  shook  it  out.  The  janitor,  stripped  and  bound, 
ankles  lashed,  hands  trussed  behind  him,  was  haled  towards 
the  brazier.  The  blanket  was  flung  round  him  and  four 
apparitors  lifted  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  log  and  held  him 
near  the  brazier,  the  enveloping  blanket  drawn  tight  over  his 
left  thigh  and  its  outer  underside  nearest  the  coals,  tilting 
him  sideways  to  bring  the  soft  thickness  of  the  thigh  closest 
to  the  heat.  They  watched  the  tight  blanket  over  his  thigh 
and  moved  him  a  little  away  from  the  brazier  when  the  wool 
began  to  smoke. 

I  had  never  seen  nor  heard  of  this  kind  of  torture,  but 
it  seemed  effectual.  The  fellow  writhed,  groaned,  squalled 
and  protested.  After  Corbulo  had  him  brought  back  before 
him  he  confessed  that  he  had  been  asleep  in  his  cell  from 
some  time  before  Falco's  murder  until  he  was  aroused  by 
Dromo,  just  before  the  arrival  of  Casperius  and  Vespronius. 

One  by  one  the  other  slaves  were  questioned.  Three  de- 
clared that  they  had  seen  the  janitor  asleep  not  long  before 
they  heard  the  alarm. 

Several  more  testified  that  the  janitor  had  often  been 
asleep.  More  than  half  of  them  confirmed  my  story  of  the 
theft  of  the  silver  on  the  N"ones  of  May.  Except  the  janitor 
not  one  was  tortured,  though  Corbulo  threatened  with  tor- 
ture several  who  hesitated  in  their  testimony. 

After  the  slaves  Corbulo  questioned  Asellio  and  Lustralis. 

Then,  when  they  had  stood  aside,  he  gazed  about  at  the 
spectators  in  the  nave,  at  the  crowd  behind  them,  interested 
in  the  next  case  or  in  others  to  come  up  later,  at  the  hangers- 
on  in  the  side  aisles ;  for  a  time,  mute,  he  stared  at  the  glow- 
ing charcoal  fire  in  the  big  brazier. 

When  he  spoke  he  said : 

"It  is  my  opinion  that  Phorbas  is  innocent.  I  have  in- 
spected the  house  where  the  murder  took  place.  From  the 


552  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

condition  of  the  looted  rooms  it  is  plain  that  more  jewelry 
was  stolen  than  any  one  man  could  carry  off.  Manifestly 
two  men  participated  in  the  robbery  and  murder  and  es- 
caped with  their  booty,  very  likely  the  same  pair  who  robbed 
Falco's  triclinium  on  the  Nones  of  May.  The  janitor's  con- 
fessed delinquency  explains  how  they  entered  and  got  away 
unhindered  and  unseen.  The  dead  man's  heirs  should  pun- 
ish the  janitor.  I  hold  no  other  slave  at  fault.  Has  any 
man  anything  which  he  wishes  to  say  before  I  pass  formal 
judgment  for  official  record?" 

Lustralis  asked  permission  to  speak  and  amazed  me  by 
his  fluency,  his  ingratiating  delivery,  his  vehemence,  his  in- 
genuity and  the  fantastic  malignity  of  his  contentions.  Cor* 
bulo  heard  him  out  to  the  end,  unmoving  as  a  statue. 

"You  do  not  look  like  a  lunatic  nor  act  like  one,  Lustralis/* 
he  said,  "but  you  talk  like  one.  Phorbas  has  impressed  me 
by  every  feature  of  his  tale.  He  appears  to  have  told  the 
truth.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  sincere  friend  to  his  late 
master.  I  cannot  credit  the  wild  suggestion  that  a  man  of 
his  character  would  plot  his  master's  death,  or  that  a  man 
of  his  intelligence,  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  terms  of  his 
master's  will,  would  expose  himself  to  suspicion  by  so  plot- 
ting; far  less  that  such  a  man  as  he  would  ignore  the  perils 
of  such  a  crime  and  so  desire  his  freedom  and  the  legacies 
promised  him  as  to  league  himself  with  two  criminals,  assist 
them  to  enter  the  house  and  to  escape  from  it,  and  hope  to 
come  off  unscathed  and  unsuspected  and  forever  unbetrayed. 

"But,  suppose  all  you  imagine  and  insinuate  is  true  in  fact. 
Prove  it !  Produce  the  two  robbers !  Prove  them  the  rob- 
bers by  recovering  their  booty !  If  they,  so  convicted  of  the 
robbery,  are  brought  before  me,  if  they  accuse  Phorbas  of 
being  their  accomplice,  if  they  tell  a  consistent  and  convinc- 
ing tale,  if  any  colorable  motive  for  such  association  and  such 
a  crime  can  be  alleged  against  Phorbas,  then  I'll  believe  him 
guilty,  and  not  till  then.'' 

He  eyed  Lustralis,  who  spoke  further. 

"Torture  Phorbas!"  Corbulo  cried.  "Absurd!  In  my 
court  I  never  torture  men  like  him,  any  more  than  if  they 


ACCUSATION  553 

were  freemen.  And  though  it  might  be  imperative  to  tor- 
ture him  for  a  confession  if  all  the  testimony  pointed  to  his 
guilt,  it  is  ridiculous  to  suggest  torturing  him  merely  to  cor- 
roborate evidence  demonstrating  his  innocence. 

"I,  hereby,  officially  as  the  representative  of  the  Common- 
wealth, pronounce  Phorbas  cleared  of  all  charges  connected 
with  this  case.  I  hereby  enjoin  all  men  to  assist  the  Republic 
to  detect  and  apprehend  the  murderers  who  robbed  Falco  and 
killed  him." 

Lustralis  and  Asellio  looked  baffled  and  sour.  A  murmur 
of  approval  ran  through  the  bystanders.  My  fellow-slaves 
congratulated  each  other  and  rejoiced,  save  only  the  janitor. 

Galen  approached  me. 

"Phorbas,"  he  said,  "as  you  are  now  a  freeman  by  your 
late  master's  will,  which  will  soon  be  read  and  its  provi- 
sions put  into  effect,  at  which  reading  I  shall  be  present  as 
one  of  the  legatees,  you  may  now  go  where  you  like.  I  in- 
vite you  to  come  with  me." 

I  thanked  Corbulo,  who  said: 

"Don't  thank  me.  I  did  just  what  any  sane,  clear-headed, 
fair-minded  magistrate  must  do,  affirmed  the  manifest 
truth." 

Galen  led  me  off  to  a  modest  apartment  near  the  Carinae. 
I  found  everything  prepared  for  my  comfort,  slaves  to  wait 
on  me  and  nothing  omitted.  I  thanked  him. 

"Tanno,"  he  said,  "deputed  me  to  hire  this  lodging  for 
you.  He  has  kept  in  the  background.  These  are  my  slaves, 
put  at  your  disposal  and  enjoined  to  obey  you  as  they  would 
obey  me  in  person.  Keep  quiet  here  till  I  can  arrange  for 
you  to  take  possession  of  your  legacies  from  Falco.  I  think 
he  left  you  all  your  personal  belongings  and  the  slaves  who 
waited  on  you.  As  soon  as  the  necessary  formalities  are 
completed  I'll  send  them  to  you. 

"Do  not  attempt  to  communicate  with  Yedia  or  Tanno. 
Do  nothing  which  might  betray  you  as  your  actual  self. 
Our  new  Emperor  seems  resolute  to  exterminate,  to  the  last 
individual,  all  persons  implicated  in  any  conspiracy  not  only 
against  Julianus  or  Pertinax,  but  against  Commodus,  from 


554  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  date  of  his  accession.  All  such  persons  apprehended  are 
promptly  executed.  Keep  quiet.  Efface  yourself  till  I  give 
you  the  word.  I  can  communicate  with  you  freely,  can  see 
you  daily,  if  need  be,  since  I  am  one  of  poor  Faleo's  heirs  and 
was  your  physician  during  his  life  here  in  Kome.  Fll  do 
all  I  can  for  you." 

He  left  and  I  bathed,  ate,  and  slept  the  rest  of  that  day 
and  slept  sound  all  night. 

Next  day  passed  similarly.  But,  early  on  the  following 
day,  the  third  day  before  the  Kalends  of  July,  not  long  after 
.sunrise,  my  new  valet  came  to  me  his  face  ashen.  He  babbled 
some  unintelligible  syllables  and  before  I  could  comprehend 
him,  my  bedroom  was  entered  by  a  Pannonian  sergeant, 
grim  as  the  centurions  from  Britain  who  had  liberated 
Agathemer  and  me  from  the  ergastulum  at  Placentia.  Be- 
hind him  were  four  legionary  soldiers.  I  was  rearrested! 


CHAPTEE  XXXVIII 

TORTURE 

I  WAS  promptly  haled  off  to  the  same  prison  where  Galen 
had  visited  me  three  days  before.  There  I  was  again 
deprived  of  my  garments  and  clad  in  others,  new,  but  of 
cheap  material,  coarse  and  uncomfortable.  Also  shackles, 
heavier  shackles,  were  at  once  riveted  on  my  ankles,  and  I 
was  again  consigned  to  the  lower  dungeon.  I  was,  to  be 
^sure,  given  good  and  abundant  food  and  wine  not  too  un- 
palatable. Otherwise  I  had  no  indulgences  and  there  I  spent 
the  night. 

Next  day,  the  last  day  of  June,  Galen  again  visited  me. 

"My  lad,"  he  said,  "the  first  rule  of  medicine  is  to  cheer 
up  the  patient,  but  I  must  say  that  your  case  looks  grave 
and  I  have  little  cheer  for  you.  I  shall  do  my  best  and  so 
will  Tanno,  Vedia  and  Agathemer.  But  we  are  all  dazed- 


'  TORTURE  555 

We  cannot  understand  what  has  happened,  nor  who  has 
brought  it  to  pass,  nor  what  influences  are  working  against 
us. 

"But  someone  has  gotten  the  ear  of  Juvenalis  or  of  Severus 
himself.  It  has  been  represented  plausibly  to  the  Prefect  of 
the  Prastorium,  or  perhaps  even  to  the  Emperor  in  person, 
that  the  courts  here  in  Eome  have  fallen  into  a  shocking 
state  of  disrepute  on  account  of  decisions  in  scandalous  con- 
travention of  the  evidence,  brought  about  by  favoritism  and 
bribery.  It  has  also  been  plausibly  represented  that  the 
slave-population  has  little  respect  for  the  lives  or  property  of 
their  masters,  less  loyalty  towards  them  and  very  little 
dread  of  punishment.  Your  alleged  murder  of  poor  Falco 
is  held  up  as  a  flagrant  example  of  the  latter  condition,  your 
acquittal  as  an  even  more  flagrant  instance  of  the  degrada- 
tion of  the  courts. 

"Believing  that  a  shocking  miscarriage  of  justice  has  taken 
place  concerning  an  atrocious  crime,  the  Prefect  or  the 
Prince  has  ordered  you  rearrested  and  retried,  tomorrow, 
this  time  before  Cassius  Ravillanus." 

I  shuddered,  not  metaphorically,  but  actually.  I  felt  cold 
all  over,  as  if  plunged  into  an  icy  mountain  stream.  Ravil- 
lanus  claimed  as  his  ancestor  Cassius  Ravilla  and  aimed  at 
emulating  him.  Certainly,  as  a  magistrate,  he  quite  frankly 
talked  and  acted  as  if  acquittal  were  a  disgrace  to  the  court, 
and  the  object  of  each  trial  not  impartial  justice  but  the 
conviction  of  the  accused.  He  was  perfectly  sincere,  up- 
right in  every  intention,  incorruptible,  fanatical,  self- 
opinionated,  austere,  ascetic,  stern  and  harsh.  I  shuddered 
again  and  again  at  the  thought  of  him. 

"Ravillanus  has  the  reputation  of  being  unbribable," 
Galen  went  on,  "and  it  is  a  question  whether  an  attempt  at 
bribery  might  not  prejudice  your  case  more  than  letting 
matters  be.  Yet  1  have  employed  an  agent  far  too  clever 
to  bungle  any  approach,  and  something  may  be  done  for  you. 
Vedia  is  despondent,  but  resolute  to  keep  her  head  and  help 
you  all  she  can,  and  she  has  cash  to  spare  and  much  influ- 


556  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

ence.  Tanno  has  even  more  of  both.  Agathemer  is  hopeful 
of  running  down  the  real  murderers,  as  they  are  loaded  with 
their  booty.  If  they  are  caught  we  can  clear  you. 

"Keep  up  a  brave  heart." 

I  tried  to,  but  it  was  impossible.  I  ate  little  and  slept 
hardly  at  all. 

The  next  day,  the  Kalends  of  July,  saw  me  haled  again 
to  the  Basilica  Sempronia. 

There  I  beheld  a  scene  almost  a  duplicate  of  my  first  trial ; 
a  similar  throng  of  spectators,  very  similar  bevies  of  expec- 
tant witnesses,  advocates  and  prosecutors;  the  same  batch 
of  my  former  fellow-slaves,  surrounded  by  the  same  guards; 
the  very  same  charcoal-brazier  tended  by  the  same  slave 
squatting  on  the  same  folded  blanket;  similar  knots  of 
notables  in  the  apse,  about  and  behind  the  magistrate's  tri- 
bunal; the  same  carved  arm-chair;  in  it  not  Corbulo,  but 
Cassius  Ravillanus,  lean,  dry,  tanned,  leathery,  smooth- 
shaven,  bald  and  stern. 

He  glared  at  me  when  my  guards  halted  me  four  yards  or 
so  in  front  of  him ;  then  he  beckoned  to  one  of  his  apparitors 
and  spoke  to  him  in  an  undertone.  The  fellow  went  off  as 
if  on  an  errand. 

Ravillanus  then  gave,  even  more  positively  than  Corbulo, 
a  demonstration  of  the  great  latitude  permitted  such  a  magis- 
trate in  procedure,  of  how  completely  it  lies  within  his  dis- 
cretion what  to  do  and  how  to  do  it. 

"Fellow  I"  he  ranted,  "you  have  plotted  to  rob  and  murder 
your  master,  you  have  done  both  and  you  have,  by  favor  and 
influence  and  perhaps  even  by  bribery,  arranged  for  your  easy 
acquittal.  I  am  charged  by  the  Prince  of  the  Republic  to 
see  to  it,  that  the  majesty  of  the  law,  the  sacredness  of  the 
lives  of  Roman  noblemen,  and  the  security  of  their  property 
be  publicly  vindicated:  I  am  here  to  undo  all  that  Lollius 
Corbulo  supinely  allowed  to  be  done.  You  shall  perceive 
that  I  am  wholly  unlike  any  such  trifler.  Of  one  feature 
only  of  his  procedure  do  I  approve.  I  highly  acclaim  his 
notions  as  to  the  right  kind  of  torture.  Slaves  like  you,  how- 
ever pampered,  are  property,  like  horses  or  cattle.  Their 


TORTURE  557 

ralue  lies  in  their  usefulness.  Any  slave,  after  torture,  should 
be  as  useful  to  his  owners  as  before.  If  a  slave  is  placed 
upon  the  horse  and  weights  hung  to  his  feet,  his  legs  are 
often  made  helpless,  he  cannot  ever  walk  again,  he  is  a  crip- 
ple. Still  oftener  does  the  rack  leave  a  slave  utterly  useless. 
Our  courts  have  always  desired  some  form  of  torture  by 
which  the  recalcitrant  could  be  made  to  suffer  acute  pain, 
but  not  in  any  way  injured.  Lollius  has  introduced  a  torture 
which  never  injures  anyone  subjected  to  it,  but  which  causes 
extreme  agony  while  in  use.  Only  stretch  a  hard-yarn  Span- 
ish blanket  over  a  thigh,  draw  it  tight  and  hold  the  thigh  at 
just  the  right  distance  from  just  the  right  size  of  brazier 
with  its  coals  properly  tended,  and  the  subject  can  be  made 
to  tell  the  truth;  but  not  broiled  alive,  for  the  blanket  will 
singe  before  the  flesh  under  it  cooks.  You  had  best  tell  the 
truth,  not  such  an  ingenious  string  of  lies  as  you  told  before 
Lollius." 

Then  he  had  all  my  fellow-slaves  brought  up  and  ranged 
before  him. 

"Your  master/'  he  said,  <fhas  been  foully  done  to  death. 
If  the  guilt  of  this  hideous  crime  can  be  indubitably  fastened 
upon  one  of  you  or  two  or  any  few,  the  rest  of  you  shall  be 
held  innocent  and  shall  suffer  no  penalties.  If  no  facts  can 
be  ascertained  limiting  the  guilt  to  some  of  you,  all  of  you, 
according  to  the  ancient  law  concerning  such  cases,  shall  be 
put  to  death  by  crucifixion  or  exposure  to  the  beasts  in  the 
arena,  as  our  Prince  may  prefer.  I  have  no  desire  to  send 
to  death  any  guiltless  man.  I  enjoin  you  all  to  tell  the  truth 
and  to  assist  the  law.  The  truth-tellers  will  suffer  less  of 
the  torture." 

He  then,  beginning  with  the  scullions,  had  every  boy  and 
man  tortured  over  the  brazier,  asking  no  question  of  any 
till  he  had  felt  the  heat  of  the  fire  and  had  begun  to  yell  for 
mercy.  Then  he  would  interrupt  the  torture,  question  the 
victim,  bid  the  torturers  again  hold  their  subject  close  to  the 
fire ;  and  again  suspend  the  torture  and  ask  questions.  Natur- 
ally the  victims,  frantic  with  pain  and  terror,  said  whatever 
they  thought  would  get  them  off. 


558  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Also,  to  ray  horror,  I  realized  for  the  first  time,  what  I 
had  only  vaguely  suspected  before,  how  venomously  they  had 
envied  me,  how  violently  embittered  most  of  them  were 
against  me,  how  they  had  hated  their  master's  favorite.  They 
were  glad  to  slander  me,  they  enjoyed  assisting  at  my  ruin, 
they  relished  the  prospect  of  my  being  tortured  and  executed. 
Moreover  it  appeared  that  they  had  been  carefully  coached 
in  what  they  were  to  say  or  had  agreed  among  themselves, 
without  any  outside  hints,  or  after  such  hints. 

The  whole  household  made  it  appear  that  they  had  always 
suspected  me  of  desiring  Falco's  death  in  order  that  I  might 
gain  my  freedom  and  enjoy  his  promised  legacies ;  that  I  had 
enticed  and  wheedled  him  into  leaving  me  in  his  will  an 
absurdly  large  share  of  his  property. 

They  were  also  unanimous  in  declaring  that  they  had  been 
unable  to  bring  home  to  me  the  devising  of  the  robbery  of 
the  triclinwm,  but  they  had  all  felt  certain  from  the  first 
that  I  had  arranged  to  have  confederates  of  mine  steal  the 
table  silver.  They  were  equally  consistent  in  asserting  that 
they  all  believed  that  I  had  murdered  Falco,  after  arranging 
for  the  looting  of  the  gem-collection  as  a  blind. 

Hour  after  hour  I  had  to  stand  and  watch  wretch  after 
wretch  held  to  the  glowing  coals,  had  to  listen  to  the  shrieks 
of  the  victims,  could  not  but  realize  that  Eavillanus  was  bent 
on  my  conviction,  that  nothing  would  swerve  him  from  his 
purpose. 

Dromo,  alone  of  all  the  household,  alone  of  my  obsequious, 
indulged  personal  servants,  held  out  against  the  torture  and 
though  he  writhed,  yelled,  sobbed  and  even  endured  the  pain 
•until  he  fainted  more  than  once,  refused  to  say  anything 
against  me. 

After  Dromo  my  turn  came.  When  I  was  stripped  Eavil- 
lanus rubbed  his  hands  and  remarked : 

"You  have  your  character  written  on  your  back!  How 
could  Falco  trust  a  fellow  so  branded  and  scarred!  Easy- 
going masters  like  Falco  not  only  bring  on  their  own  deaths, 
but  sap  the  foundations  of  safety  for  all  slave-owners.  Your 
back,  in  advance,  advertises  you  guilty.  Better  own  up." 


TORTURE  559 

I  pass  over  the  details.  But  I  must  confess  that  I  was 
far  from  heroic.  Perhaps  it  is  true,  and  not  an  invention, 
that  Marcus  Scaevola  voluntarily  thrust  his  hand  into  the 
altar-fire  and  stood  mute  and  smiling,  and  watched  it  burn 
and  char.  If  any  man  ever  did  that  he  had  more  self-control 
than  I  ever  had.  I  could  not  repress  every  indication  of  my 
agonies.  I  fainted  so  many  times  that  I  lost  count.  The 
afternoon  was  drawing  on  towards  evening  before  Kavillanus 
began  to  lose  patience. 

Tanno  and  Galen  had  been  from  the  first  among  those 
about  the  tribunal.  Now,  in  a  pause,  while  I  was  being 
brought  back  to  consciousness  to  be  again  tortured,  Galen  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  the  attention  of  Eavillanus  enough  to 
induce  him,  though  grudgingly,  to  permit  the  celebrated  ad- 
vocate, Memmius  Tuditanus,  whom  they  had  brought  with 
them,  to  speak  in  my  behalf.  I  had  regained  consciousness 
before  he  began  to  speak  and  heard  most  of  what  he  said. 
He  spoke  well. 

His  chief  point  was  that  a  gem-expert  and  art-amateur 
like  me,  knowing  that  he  was  to  inherit  one  of  the  finest  and 
most  carefully  chosen  collections  of  gems  and  art  objects  in 
all  the  world,  would  be  the  last  man  on  earth  to  allow  it  to 
be  disturbed,  let  alone  to  plot  its  ransacking,  the  pillage  of 
its  cases  and  the  dispersal  of  their  precious  contents.  No 
man  could  better  have  exposed  the  absurdity  of  the  whole 
flimsy  and  preposterous  fabrication  that  I  had  had  two  con- 
federates, who  had,  in  my  interest  and  at  my  suggestion, 
robbed  first  the  triclinium  and  then  the  gem-collection,  after 
which  last  I  had  myself  murdered  Falco. 

But  his  logic,  his  lucidity  and  his  eloquence  fell  on  deaf 
ears.  Ravillanus  was  unmoved.  He  permitted  Lustralis  to 
make  a  rambling  and  incoherent  harangue,  setting  forth  his 
ridiculous  contentions. 

Then  he  passed  judgment: 

"I  hold  you  all  innocent  save  Phorbas  alone.  Dromo  is 
manifestly  devoted  to  Phorbas  and  has  lied  in  his  behalf. 
But  Dromo,  apparently,  was  no  accomplice  in  the  plot  or  in 
the  murder.  I  acquit  him  with  the  rest.  Phorbas,  who 


560  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

vilely  plotted  against  his  master,  who  foully  murdered  him, 
I  adjudge  guilty  of  his  death  and  I  hereby  condemn  him  to  be 
kept  chained  in  the  slaves'  prison  until  the  next  day  of  beast- 
fighting  in  the  Colosseum,  then,  in  the  arena,  to  be  exposed 
to  the  ferocity  of  the  famished  wild  beasts  of  the  desert,  wild- 
erness and  forest,  by  them  to  be  lacerated  and  torn  to  pieces, 
as  he  richly  deserves." 

Tanno  and  Galen  could  indicate  their  grief  and  sympathy 
only  by  looks  and  gestures,  for  they  dared  not  attempt  to 
approach  me. 

Then  Eavillanus  called : 

"Where  is  that  barber?" 

The  apparitor  who  had  gone  off  before  the  trial  began 
produced  a  barber. 

"Trim  his  hair  and  beard!"  Ravillanus  ordered.  And  I 
had  to  submit  to  having  my  long  locks  shorn  and  my  beard 
clipped  close,  leaving  me  far  too  like  my  true  former  self 
for  my  comfort,  since  I  still  had  hopes  of  Agathemer  catch- 
ing the  real  murderers  in  time  to  save  me  from  the  doom  im- 
pending over  me  because  of  the  fanaticism  of  Eavillanus, 
while  I  anticipated  nothing  but  inescapable  death  should  I 
be  recognized  as  not  Phorbas,  but  as  Andivius  Hedulio. 

I  was  then,  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  Kalends  of  July, 
haled  off  to  the  Colosseum  and  immured  in  one  of  the  cells 
of  the  lowermost  crypt,  far  below  the  street  level.  To  my 
amazement  I  found  myself  sharing  the  cell  with  Narcissus, 
who  had  been  similarly  condemned  to  exposure  to  the  beasts, 
as  the  murderer  of  Commodus. 

Together  we  spent  five  dreadful  days  in  the  darkness, 
dampness,  chill  and  foulness  of  that  tiny  cell.  I  found  that 
influence  such  as  Tanno  and  Vedia  possessed  and  cash  such 
as  they  had  at  their  disposal,  could  do  much  even  for  the 
occupant  of  such  a  cell,  destined  to  such  a  doom.  I  was 
visited  by  Galen,  more  than  once,  and  he  emphasized  the 
still  hopeful  possibility,  nay  probability,  that  Agathemer 
might,  in  time,  save  me,  run  down  and  bring  before  a  magis- 
trate the  real  murderers.  I  was  gloomy,  I  admit.  But  his 


TORTURE  561 

presence  in  that  horrible  hole  and  his  words  cheered  me,  by 
brightening  the  hope  I  had  never  wholly  lost. 

Also  I  was  tended,  massaged,  rubbed,  chafed,  washed  each 
day  in  warm  water  brought  in  big  pails  and  poured  into  a 
big,  shallow  pan;  I  was  anointed;  clothed  in  a  comfortable 
tunic,  strengthened  with  plenty  of  good  food  and  strong  wine 
and  provided  with  a  cot  and  bedding  and  blankets.  I  was 
able  to  have  Narcissus  indulged  also,  in  order  that  he  might 
be  a  less  unpleasant  cell-mate. 

He  talked  to  me  freely  of  life  in  the  Palace,  of  Commodus, 
of  Marcia,  of  Ducconius  Furfur,  of  his  own  fatal  mistake,  of 
the  amazing  likeness,  even  apparent  identity,  between  Furfur 
and  Commodus,  of  the  naturalness  of  his  inability  to  tell 
them  apart. 

I  drank  and  ate  all  the  food  and  wine  I  could  swallow, 
slept  all  I  could,  and  tried  to  be  hopeful. 

Thus  passed  five  horrible  days  and  six  hideous  nights. 

After  no  more  than  twelve  days,  as  I  learned  later,  Severus 
felt  himself  securely  established  as  Prince  of  the  Republic. 
By  spending  almost  every  moment  of  daylight  on  official 
business,  denying  himself  more  than  the  merest  minimum 
of  sleep  and  food,  he  had  put  every  department  of  the  govern- 
ment sufficiently  in  order  to  feel  assured  of  their  smooth  and 
effective  operation.  His  troops  were  now  all  outside  the  City, 
comfortably  camped,  well  supplied  and  content;  the  City  was 
orderly  and  its  life  had  resumed  its  normal  aspect  and  activ- 
ities. He  felt  free  to  win  the  regard  of  the  populace  by 
magnificent  exhibitions  in  the  amphitheater,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  eight  days  of  the  Games  of  Apollo,  beginning  the  day 
before  the  Nones  of  July. 

Early  next  day  Narcissus  and  I  were  haled  from  our  cell 
and  led,  by  passages  only  too  well  known  to  me  since  my 
service  in  the  Choragium,  to  the  iron-gated  doorway  from 
which  condemned  criminals  were  thrust  out  into  the  arena 
for  the  lions  or  other  beasts  to  tear.  From  inside  that  door- 
way I  could  look  across  the  sand  of  the  arena  and  could  see 
not  only  the  herald  on  his  tiny  platform,  elevated  above  the 


562  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

leap  of  the  most  agile  panther,  not  only  the  arena-wall  oppo- 
site me,  hut  also  the  faces  of  the  senators  in  their  private 
boxes  on  the  podium,  even  a  portion  of  the  nobility  behind 
them  and  of  the  populace  higher  up  and  further  back. 

The  day  was  hot,  still  and  clear,  and  the  July  sunshine, 
still  slant  in  the  early  morning,  struck  under  the  awning  and 
long  shafts  of  the  mellow  radiance  brightened  the  sand. 

From  that  doorway,  craning  over  the  heads  of  the  wretches 
in  front  of  me,  I  caught  glimpses  of  the  fury  of  several  beasts 
as  they  vented  their  ferocity  upon  some  ordinary  criminals 
and  assuaged  their  ravenous  hunger  on  their  blood  and  flesh. 

My  time  was  not  far  off,  yet  I  still  hoped  against  hope 
that  Agathemer  might,  even  yet,  have  caught  the  thieving 
murderers  and  would  intervene  before  it  was  too  late.  I  did 
not  at  all  fear  the  beasts;  I  knew  that  no  bear,  panther, 
leopard,  tiger  or  lion  would  hurt  me,  but  I  felt  certain  that, 
when  the  beasts  left  me  unharmed,  I  should  be  recognized  as 
Festus  the  Beast-Wizard:  and  then,  as  the  scrutiny  of  the 
whole  audience  would  be  riveted  on  me,  identified  as  An- 
divius  Hedulio. 

Narcissus  was  led  out,  stepping  jauntily  between  his  guards, 
treading  springily,  with  no  sign  of  panic  or  dejection,  a 
pattern  Hercules,  naked  save  for  a  loin-cloth,  his  skin  pink 
and  fresh,  in  spite  of  his  days  in  a  dungeon,  his  mighty  mus- 
cles rippling  all  over  his  huge  form.  The  herald  proclaimed 
to  all  that  this  was  Narcissus,  professional  wrestler,  for  long 
the  crony  of  Commodus,  who  had  strangled  his  master  and 
was  to  be  punished  for  his  treachery  and  crime  by  being  torn 
to  pieces  in  sight  of  all  Eome. 

They  let  out  on  him  a  full-grown,  young  Mauretanian 
lion,  starved  and  ravenous.  Narcissus  was  naked  and  empty- 
handed,  his  close-clipped  hair,  standing  like  the  bristles  of 
a  brush,  yellow  as  gold  wire,  shining  in  the  sun.  He  stood 
almost  as  immobile  as  had  Palus  and  faced  the  lion,  which, 
after  a  bound  or  two  towards  him,  flattened  down  on  the 
sand  and  began  to  crawl  nearer,  preparing  for  a  spring. 

When  it  sprang  Narcissus  performed  one  of  the  most 
miraculous  feats  ever  beheld  in  the  amphitheater.  He  did 


TORTURE  563 

not  dodge  but  ducked  slightly,  the  wide-spread,  taloned  paws 
missing  his  head  on  each  side.  His  arms  shot  out  as  the 
lion  sprang,  and,  though  the  brute  came  at  him  through  the 
air  like  a  log-arrow  from  a  catapult,  his  hands  gripped  each 
side  of  the  wide-open  mouth  and  his  thumbs  pushed  the 
inner  corners  of  the  lips  between  the  parted  upper  and  lowe* 
cheek-teeth.  Therefore  to  close  his  jaws  on  his  victim  tha 
lion  had  to  crush  a  roll  or  fold  of  his  own  lips.  This  incredi- 
bly difficult  feat  prolonged  his  life  a  few  breaths.  The  whole 
populace  howled  in  ecstasy  at  the  wretch's  coolness,  courage, 
strength,  swiftness  and  adroitness. 

The  lion's  momentum  and  weight  bore  Narcissus  to  the 
ground,  but  his  thumbs  did  not  slip  nor  his  hold  loosen.  On 
the  sand  lion  and  man  rolled  and  wrestled,  for  a  brief  time. 
Then  the  lion,  lashing  out  with  his  hind  legs,  caught  with 
the  claws  of  one  the  wrestler's  belly  and  half  disemboweled 
him.  Narcissus  collapsed  and  the  great  fangs  met  in  Ma 
throat. 

The  populace  redoubled  their  yells. 

When  silence  fell,  after  the  lion  had  been  chased  back 
into  his  cage  and  the  cage  lowered  down  the  lift-shaft,  after 
the  mangled  corpse  of  Narcissus  had  been  dragged  away  and 
sand  sprinkled  to  hide  the  red  patches  where  his  blood  had 
soaked  it,  I  was  haled  forth  and  stood  in  the  very  center  of 
the  arena.  From  his  perch  the  herald  proclaimed  that  I 
was  Phorbas,  the  slave  of  Pompeianus  Falco  of  Carthage  and 
Rome,  who  had  plotted  his  master's  death  in  order  sooner  to 
gain  freedom  from  his  testament,  and  had  himself  dealt 
Falco  his  deathblow.  The  populace  jeered  and  booed  at  me. 

I  had,  as  Festus  the  Animal-Tender,  often  viewed  the  in- 
terior of  the  Colosseum  from  the  arena.  But  never  when 
I  was  myself  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes.  There  I  stood,  naked 
except  for  a  loin-cloth,  empty-handed,  my  shoulder-brand 
and  scarred  back  visible  to  half  the  spectators,  glared  at  and 
reviled.  From  my  viewpoint  the  spectacle  was  singularly 
magnificent:  the  dark  blue  sky  overhead,  varied  by  some 
large,  solid-looking,  white  clouds ;  the  fluttering  banners  wav- 
ing from  the  awning  poles;  the  particolored,  sagging  awn- 


564  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

ing,  shading  half  the  audience;  the  beauty  of  the  tipper 
colonnade  under  the  awning;  the  solidly  packed  throng  of 
spectators  which  crowded  the  colonnade,  the  aisles,  the  steps 
and  every  seat  in  the  hollow  of  the  amphitheater;  the  digni- 
fied ease  of  the  nobility  in  their  spaced  chairs,  of  the  senators 
in  their  ample  armchairs;  the  gorgeousness  of  the  Imperial 
Pavilion,  filled  with  a  retinue  brilliant  in  blue  and  silver, 
in  green  and  gold,  in  white  and  crimson,  about  the  hard, 
spare,  soldierly  figure  on  the  throne. 

I  was  the  only  human  being  on  the  sand,  eyed  by  all  on- 
lookers. 

From  a  door  in  the  podium-wall  a  famished  lion  was 
loosed  at  me.  He  bounded  towards  me,  roaring;  but,  three 
or  four  lengths  from  me  he  paused,  stood  still  regarding  me, 
circled  about  me  and  then  turned  his  back  on  me  and  loped 
off  to  the  arena-wall,  along  which  he  rounded  the  arena, 
apparently  searching  for  a  way  out.  The  populace,  at  first 
mute  with  astonishment,  voiced  their  amazement  in  yells  of 
a  notably  different  quality  from  those  they  had  uttered  while 
watching  Narcissus. 

Another  lion  behaved  similarly,  except  that  he,  after  in- 
specting me,  merely  walked  in  circles  far  out  in  the  arena, 
ignoring  me  as  if  I  were  not  there  at  all. 

They  loosed  on  me  five  more  lions,  four  tigers,  four  leop- 
ards, four  panthers  and  four  bears,  of  the  fierce  Alpine  breed. 
Some  of  these  animals  delighted  the  populace  by  attacking 
each  other  and  affording  entertainment  by  savage  and  fero- 
cious fighting.  But  not  one  showed  any  disposition  to 
attack  me. 

As  beast  after  beast  approached  me,  conned  me  and  spared 
me,  the  upper  tiers  began  to  call : 

"He  is  innocent." 

"He  is  guiltless." 

"The  beasts  know/' 

"He  is  not  guilty." 

"The  gods  declare  him  clean  of  guilt!"  and  other  such 
cries. 


TORTURE  565 

Also  they  began  to  show  signs  of  being  restless  and  bored. 
Some  yelled  for  another  criminal. 

A  seventh  lion  was  loosed  at  me.  He  paused  like  the 
others  and  eyed  me;  then  he  strolled  up  to  me,  snuffed  at 
me,  and  rubbed  his  mane  against  my  hip,  emitting  a  rum- 
bling purr.  I  laid  my  hand  on  his  mane. 

Instantly,  from  all  sides  at  once,  rang  out  cries  of, 

"Festus!" 

"Festus  the  Beast- Wizard  I" 

"He's  no  Phorbas,  he's  Festus  come  back!" 

I  was  not  far  from  the  Imperial  Pavilion  and  one  of  the 
retinue  leaned  over  the  podium-coping  and  called  to  me.  I 
walked  towards  him.  When  I  was  within  earshot  he  called 
in  Greek: 

"The  King  commands  that  you  lead  the  beasts  back  to  their 
cages." 

Elated  and  hoping  for  a  reprieve,  for  vindication,  for  life, 
for  rehabilitation,  for  Imperial  favor,  I  led  beast  after  beast 
back  to  its  cage  on  a  shaft-lift,  or  to  a  door  in  the  wall. 
When  the  last  one  was  caged  an  officer  of  the  Imperial  retinue, 
a  frontiersman  only  lately  come  to  Rome,  stepped  out  of  one 
of  the  postern  doors,  two  arena-slaves  with  him.  They  led 
me  to  the  center  of  the  arena,  trussed  my  hands  behind  me, 
bound  my  ankles  and  wrapped  round  my  head  an  evil-smell- 
ing old  quilt,  probably  taken  from  the  cot  of  some  arena- 
slave  housed  in  some  cell  under  the  hollow  of  the  amphi- 
theater. Half  suffocated  by  it,  unable  to  shake  it  off,  for 
they  tied  it  fast,  I  stood  there,  blind,  realizing  that  the  Em- 
peror still  believed  me  guilty,  was  inexorable  and  meant  me 
to  be  torn  to  pieces  then  and  there;  believing,  as  I  did,  that 
my  immunity  from  attack  was  due  to  the  effect  of  my  gaze 
on  the  beasts  I  made  mild. 

Now  you,  who  read,  know  that  I  was  not  devoured.  But 
I  had  no  shred  of  hope  left.  I  thought  that  my  end  had 
come.  I  anticipated  only  the  agony  of  great  fangs  rending 
my  flesh. 

I  felt  only  the  hot  breath  of  a  beast  snuffing  at  my  legs. 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Perhaps  I  fainted.  Certainly  my  next  sensation  was  of  lying 
on  the  sand,  with  several  unseen  animals  growling  near  me 
and  one  or  more  snuffing  at  my  feet  and  legs. 

The  amphitheater  was  quiet,  even  hushed. 

Then,  suddenly,  a  lion  uttered  a  full-throated,  coughing 
roar,  jagged  and  rumbling.  When  it  died  away  a  universal 
yell  arose  from  the  populace.  I  heard  cries  of: 

"He  is  innocent!" 

"Set  him  free!" 

"We  behold  the  justice  of  the  gods!" 

"This  proves  him  guiltless!" 

"Festus  or  Phorbas,  he  is  not  guilty!" 

And  other  such  exclamations. 

Ridiculously,  what  passed  through  my  mind,  besides  dis- 
gust at  the  foul  odor  of  the  quilt  about  my  head,  was  the 
thought  that,  if  I  had  known  that  ferocious  beasts  would 
avoid  me  even  when  they  could  not  see  my  gaze,  I  should, 
on  that  unforgettable  moonlit  evening  in  Sabinum,  have  gone 
off  home  to  my  cottage,  to  Septima,  and  have  missed  my  en- 
counter with  Vedia,  and  our  night  in  her  traveling  coach. 

Then  I  heard  the  voices  of  the  animal-tenders  essaying, 
with  their  long-handled  tridents,  to  chase  back  into  their 
cages  the  beasts  loose  about  me. 

Soon  someone  cut  my  ankle-thongs  and  the  cords  about 
the  quilt,  also  my  arm-thongs.  The  quilt  was  twitched  from 
my  face  and  I  was  assisted  to  my  feet.  The  amphitheater 
was  full  of  the  yells  of  the  populace,  affirming  my  innocence 
and  the  manifest  intervention  of  the  gods  in  my  behalf.  I 
rolled  my  gaze  around  the  audience  and  sought  to  interpret 
the  demeanor  of  the  Imperial  retinue. 

Then,  as  I  gazed  at  the  Emperor,  too  far  off  for  me  to 
make  out  his  expression,  the  yells  altered  their  quality. 

I  turned  round. 

I  saw,  running  towards  me  across  the  sand,  Agathemer ! 

Behind  him  was  an  official  in  the  robes  of  a  magistrate ! 

Behind  him  six  more  human  shapes,  four  lictors  convoying 
two  bound  prisoners. 

Agathemer  embraced  me  and  I  him. 


TORTURE  567 

" Saved,"  he  breathed,  "we've  got  'em  and  most  of  the  loot. 
Enough  to  convict  'em  and  clear  you!" 

As  we  loosed  our  embrace  I  looked  at  the  approaching 
magistrate. 

He  was  Flavius  Clemens! 

Before  the  shock  of  recognizing  him  had  passed  I  forgo 
him  entirely. 

For  I  had  recognized  the  two  prisoners. 

Though  I  had  seen  them  but  once  and  that  by  moonlight, 
and  that  eight  years  before,  I  recognized  the  two  drunken 
robbers  who  had  helped  us  to  our  couriers'  equipment  and 
sent  us  off  galloping  to  Marseilles. 

Indubitably  they  were  Carex  and  Junco ! 

While  still  numb  with  amazement  I  felt  upon  me  the  cold 
gaze  of  Flavius  Clemens.  I  looked  him  full  in  the  face.  He 
was  no  less  astonished  than  I  and  I  could  read  in  his  expres- 
sion both  amazement  and  suspicion.  I  was  acutely  aware 
that  Ravillanus,  by  having  my  hair  and  beard  clipped,  had 
made  me  readily  recognizable  to  anyone  and  everyone  who 
had  known  me  in  the  days  of  my  prosperity.  I  was  even 
more  acutely  aware  of  the  keen  intuition  which  every  lover 
feels  toward  any  actual  or  potential  rival.  I  dreaded  that 
Clemens  not  only  recognized  me  for  myself,  but  had  a  glim- 
mering inkling  as  to  why  his  suit  of  Vedia  had  twice  failed. 
But  he  said  nothing  except: 

"You  are  cleared  of  every  imputation  in  connection  with 
the  murder  of  Pompeianus  Falco.  You  are  free  to  go  where 
you  please." 

Agathemer  took  off  his  robe,  and  threw  it  around  me  and 
led  me  to  a  postern.  In  the  vaulted  corridor  we  were  met 
by  Tanno,  who  embraced  me  and  congratulated  me,  and 
Galen,  who  also  embraced  me  and  felicitated  me.  Tanno 
said: 

"Vedia  kept  up  till  Agathemer  nabbed  the  criminals,  then 
she  fainted ;  but  she  declares  the  faint  relieved  her  and  that 
she  is  entirely  herself/' 

In  one  of  the  cells  under  the  hollow  of  the  amphitheater 
I  was  given  strong  wine,  all  I  wanted,  and  then  washed  with 


568  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

warm  water  already  prepared  for  me,  and  afterwards  thoT* 
oughly  massaged.  Then  I  was  clad  in  garments  of  my  own. 

"I  feel  like  myself,"  I  remarked. 

Just  then  Flavius  Clemens  entered,  his  expression  entirely 
too  intelligible  for  me.  Looking  me  full  in  the  eyes  he  said : 

"You  have  been  passing  as  an  art-amateur  of  Greek  an- 
cestry, under  the  name  of  Phorbas,  with  the  status  of  a  slave. 
Before  that  you  were  among  the  helpers  at  the  Choragium, 
held  as  a  slave  belonging  to  the  fiscus,  by  the  name  of  Festus. 
It  seems  to  me  that  you  are  no  Greek,  nor  of  Greek  blood, 
even  to  the  smallest  degree.  I  take  you  for  a  full-blooded 
Roman.  I  think  I  recognize  you.  Are  you  not  Andivius 
Eedulio?" 

"I  am,"  I  acknowledged. 

He  saluted  me  courteously  and  bade  me  a  polite  farewell, 
without  any  other  word. 

Tanno  and  Galen  made  no  comment,  nor  did  Agathemer. 
They  assisted  me  out  to  Tanno's  waiting  litter.  In  it  I  was 
borne  off  to  the  lodgings  which  I  had  occupied  eight  days 
before,  between  my  two  trials.  There  I  found  a  tempting 
meal  ready  for  me  and  ate  liberally.  Then  I  was  put  to  bed 
and  at  once  fell  into  the  deep  sleep  of  utter  exhaustion  and 
slept  through  till  long  after  daylight  next  day. 

When  I  woke  I  found  that  Dromo  himself  was  by  my  bed- 
side, as  well  as  Agathemer.  They  tended  me,  washed  me, 
plied  me  with  wine  and  fed  me  with  dainties,  asserting  that 
Galen  had  given  orders  that  I  was  on  no  account  to  stir  from 
my  bed  or  sit  up  in  it. 

I  slept  again  and,  when  I  woke  early  in  the  afternoon, 
insisted  on  getting  up  and  being  dressed.  I  was  no  sooner 
clad  than  there  entered  the  apartment  a  big,  florid,  youthful 
Pannonian  sergeant  and  four  legionaries. 

I  was  yet  again  rearrested! 

They  led  me  away,  forbidding  Agathemer  to  exchange  a 
word  with  me,  or  to  follow  us.  Through  the  brilliant  July 
sunlight,  to  the  Great  Forum,  they  led  me,  along  its  northeast 
flank,  up  the  Steps  of  Groaning,  and  to  the  Mamertine  Prison ! 

There  I  was  handed  over  to  four  of  the  assistants  to  the 


THE  TULLIANUM  569 

Public  Executioner.  They  stripped  me  of  my  outer  gar- 
ments, leaving  me  naked  except  for  my  tunic.  Then  they 
haled  me  to  the  trap-door,  lifted  the  trap,  passed  ropes  under 
my  armpits  and  lowered  me  into  the  dreaded  lower  dungeon, 
the  horrible  Tullianum! 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 

THE   TULLIANUM 

as  is  the  upper  cell  of  the  Mamertine  Prison 
there  is  light  enough  there  for  my  eyes  to  have  been 
utterly  blinded  by  it  as  I  was  lowered  into  the  black  pit 
beneath.  I  saw  nothing  in  the  brief  period  while  I  was  being 
let  down,  while  the  ropes  were  being  drawn  up,  while  the 
trap-door  was  shut  down  and  fitted  into  place.  Then  I  was 
in  the  pitchest  darkness,  into  which  no  ray,  no  glimmer  of 
light  could  penetrate.  I  saw  nothing  whatever,  yet  I  seemed 
to  feel  a  presence,  seemed  to  hear  a  faint  footfall,  seemed  to 
be  aware  of  another  human  being  standing  close  to  me.  Then 
I  heard  a  deep,  resonant,  healthy,  pleasant-sounding  voice 
ask: 

"Brother  in  misfortune,  who  are  you?" 

I  was  past  any  impulse  towards  dissimulation  or  any  belief 
in  its  utility. 

"I  am  Andivius  Hedulio." 

"You  are?"  the  big,  cheerful  male  voice  exclaimed.  "You 
really  are  ?  You  amaze  me !  I  am  Galvius  Crispinillus,  lately 
and  for  many  a  year  King  of  the  Highwaymen!  Give  me 
your  hand!" 

Now,  whatever  distaste  I  felt  for  giving  my  hand  to  such 
a  criminal,  however  great  was  my  repugnance,  however  utterly 
I  felt  myself  lost,  however  certain  I  was  of  the  inevitable 
doom  hanging  over  me,  however  short  a  respite  I  anticipated 
before  my  inescapable  death,  I  was  not  fool  enough  to  antago- 
nize my  companion  in  misery,  presumably  a  powerful  and 


670  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

ferocious  brute.  I  held  out  my  hand.  His  grasped  it.  Mine 
returned  the  grip. 

"Come  this  way !"  he  said.  "This  pit  is  damp  and  chilly, 
but  even  here  a  bed  of  stale  straw  is  better  than  the  rock 
floor  or  the  patches  of  mud  on  it  or  the  heaps  of  filth.  I 
know  every  inch  of  this  hole  and  I  know  the  least  uncom- 
fortable place  to  sit  Come  along!" 

He  guided  me  in  the  utter  blackness  to  a  pile  of  damp 
straw.  On  it  we  sat  down,  half  reclining. 

"If  you  are  thirsty,"  he  said,  "I  can  guide  you  to  the  well. 
There  is  a  spring  in  here  and  plenty  of  good  water." 

"I  thank  you,"  I  said.  "I  shall  be  thirsty  enough  before 
long.  Just  now  I  am  far  more  interested  to  hear  how  you 
came  here.  Nobody  believed  that  you  would  ever  be  caught." 

"No  more  did  I !"  he  ejaculated.  "I  had  so  easily  defied 
the  utmost  efforts  of  the  government  and  officials  under 
Aurelius,  of  the  incompetents  under  Commodus,  of  his 
vaunted  Highway  Constabulary;  had  so  prospered,  had  so 
come  and  gone  as  I  pleased  and  robbed  whom  I  pleased  from 
'the  Po  to  the  Straits,  that  I  thought  no  man  could  lay  for 
me  any  snare  I  could  not  foresee,  thought  myself  impeccably 
wary  and  prescient,  though  I  had  always  taken  and  would 
always  take  all  necessary  precautions. 

"But  I  was  a  fooL  I  comprehended  Aurelius  and  Com- 
modus and  their  magistrates  and  officials  and  constabulary; 
I  was  right  in  fearing  nothing  from  Pertinax  and  Julianus; 
but  I  was  an  ass  to  think  I  could  cope  with  Septimius  Sev- 
erus.  That  man  is  deeper  than  the  deepest  abyss  of  mid- 
ocean! 

"I  thought  I  was  certain  of  months  of  disorder,  confusion 
and  laxity  in  which  I  could  go  where  I  pleased,  act  as  I 
pleased,  garner  a  rich  harvest  and  escape  unscathed.  Do 
you  know,  before  he  had  left  Aquileia,  perhaps  before  he  had 
passed  the  Alps,  possibly  before  he  had  set  out  from  Sabaria, 
that  man  had  despatched  not  one  but  a  dozen  detachments 
to  ascertain  my  whereabouts,  consider  how  best  to  take  me 
unawares,  lie  in  wait  for  me,  nab  me  and  hunt  down  my 
bands.  I  believe  he  had  thought  out,  far  back  in  that  head 


THE  TULLIANUM  571 

of  his,  long  before  Pertinax  was  murdered,  perhaps  even  long 
before  Commodus  died,  every  measure  he  would  initiate  if 
he  became  Emperor,  down  to  the  smallest  detail.  He  had 
all  his  plans  framed  and  thought  out,  I'll  wager ! 

"His  emissaries  were  no  fools!  They,  first  among  those 
despatched  against  me,  knew  their  business.  I  was  trapped 
near  Sentinum,  on  the  Kalends  of  this  month.  Never  mind 
how;  even  in  this  plight  I'm  ashamed  of  it.  They  just 
missed  nabbing  Felix  Bulla  along  with  me.  But  he  got  away 
that  time.  And  I  prophesy  that  now  he  is  warned  of  his 
danger  and  knows  the  cleverness  of  the  men  on  his  trail,  he'll 
show  himself  yet  cleverer.  He  is  a  marvel,  is  Felix  Bulla, 
and  promises  to  outdo  even  my  record." 

He  broke  off,  breathing  audibly. 

"By  the  way,"  he  went  on,  "are  you  hungry  ?  I  have  part 
of  a  loaf  of  bread  in  here,  not  yet  stale  and  no  damper  than 
it  must  get  in  this  foul  air.  It  hasn't  fallen  on  the  floor. 
It's  eatable." 

"I'll  be  hungry  enough  before  long,"  I  replied,  "but  I  am 
not  hungry  now.  I  had  eaten  all  I  wanted  and  of  the  best 
just  before  I  was  haled  here." 

"Speak  when  you  want  any,"  he  said.  "It  will  be  share 
and  share  alike  here  for  us  till  they  come  to  finish  us. 

"And  now,  tell  me  about  yourself.  I  have  always  been 
curious  about  you.  I  heard  all  about  you  when  you  first  got 
into  trouble  and  I  was  told  that  the  official  report  of  your 
death  was  fictitious,  invented  by  underlings  too  clumsy  to 
capture  you  and  fearful  of  the  consequences  of  their  incom- 
petence. Also  I  heard  unimpeachable  testimony  that  you 
were  alive  later  and  had  been  seen  in  Rome  with  Maternus 
and  outside  Rome,  the  next  summer,  with  the  mutineers 
from  Britain.  I  have  often  wondered  how  you  got  into  such 
company.  Tell  me  how  you  came  to  be  with  Maternus." 

I  saw  no  utility  in  any  further  dissimulation  of  anything 
or  in  any  reticence;  I  began  with  our  springtime  stay  at  the 
farm  in  the  mountains,  and  told  my  story  in  detail,  from 
that  hour. 

When  I  came  to  my  visit,  along  with  Maternus,  to  the 


572  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Temple  of  Mercury  and  mentioned  how  Maternus  had  warned 
me  that  we  were  being  watched,  and  how  I  had  shot  one 
glance  towards  the  watchers  and  had  recognized  one  of  them, 
he  interrupted  me  and,  without  enquiring  where  I  had  seen 
him  before,  asked  for  a  description  of  the  watcher  I  had 
recognized.  I  gave  it  as  well  as  I  could  and  he  said : 

"That  was  my  brother,  Marcus  Galvius  Crispinillus,  now 
dead.  It  was  he  who  told  me  that  he  had  seen  you  with 
Maternus.  Go  on." 

Again,  when  I  spoke  of  recognizing  Crispinillus  by  the 
wayside  as  I  passed  with  the  mutineers  he  interjected: 

"Yes,  he  told  me  he  saw  you  there." 

And  later,  when  I  spoke  of  being  found  with  Agathemer 
after  the  massacre,  separated  from  him  and  led  off  to  the 
ergastulum  at  Nuceria  he  remarked: 

"I  can't  conceive  how  my  brother  missed  you.  Nor  could 
he.  He  looked  for  you  among  the  corpses  and  went  over 
the  survivors  twice  in  search  of  you." 

"I  did  not  see  him  after  the  massacre,"  I  declared. 

"Mercury  protected  you/'  was  his  comment. 

When  I  finished  the  story  of  my  giving  warning  of  the 
plot  in  the  ergastulum  at  Nuceria  I  paused. 

"Go  on,  lad !"  he  urged.  "You  have  had  adventures  and 
you  narrate  them  tellingly." 

I  hesitated  and  then,  utterly  reckless,  I  blurted  out: 

"If  I  am  to  go  on  with  my  story  you  might  as  well  know 
right  now,  that  I  am  not  only  Andivius  Hedulio,  but  also 
Felix  the  Horse- Wrangler." 

He  swore  a  great  oath. 

"Boy !"  he  cried,  "I  love  you !  I  have  admired  you  since 
I  listened  to  Bulla's  account  of  his  one  failure.  At  first  I 
was  furious  at  your  having  spoiled  the  best  plan  I  ever  laid 
and  the  most  brilliant  chance  I  ever  had,  at  your  preventing 
me  from  making  the  biggest  haul  of  booty  I  ever  had  hopes 
of.  But,  as  years  passed,  my  resentment  has  abated  and 
my  admiration  has  warmed.  I  bear  you  no  grudge.  I  have 
often  thought  I  should  like  to  meet  you  and  find  out  why  on 


THE  TULLIANUM  573 

earth  you  desired  to  thwart  me  and  how  you  managed  to  do 
it.  Go  on !  Tell  me  the  rest/' 

I  resumed  my  tale. 

When  I  came  to  my  outlook  from  the  crag  and  explained 
my  former  acquaintance  with  Yedia  he  interrupted. 

"Of  course,  if  you  knew  the  lady  and  she  was  an  old 
flame  of  yours,  I  don't  wonder  that  you  intervened  to  save 
her.  My  lads  were  so  rough  and  fierce-looking  that  they 
had  a  worse  reputation  than  they  deserved.  When  they  cap- 
tured prisoners  rich  enough  to  pay  any  profitable  ransom 
they  treated  them  with  the  most  scrupulous  deference.  Busi- 
ness is  business  and  we  were  not  brigands  for  fun,  but  for 
profit.  Also  they  all  dreaded  me  and  my  orders  were  explicit 
and  emphatic.  Your  sweetheart  would  have  been  as  re- 
spected with  them  as  in  her  own  home.  'But,  of  course,  you 
couldn't  feel  that  way.  Go  on  with  your  story." 

I  demurred,  asserting  that  I  felt  sleepy.  He  assented  and 
we  composed  ourselves  on  the  straw.  How  long  I  slept  or 
when  I  wakened  I  do  not  know :  I  was  roused  by  the  opening 
of  the  trap-door  and  by  the  light  which  entered  from  above. 
Food  was  lowered  to  us;  pork-stew,  still  warm,  in  a  two- 
handled,  wide-mouthed  jug ;  bread ;  olives,  not  wholly  spoiled ; 
and  a  small  kidskin  of  thin,  sour  wine.  Galvius  received 
the  dole  and  safeguarded  the  containers:  the  ropes  were 
drawn  up,  the  trap-door  reset  and  we  were  again  in  utter 
darkness. 

To  my  astonishment  I  felt  entirely  myself  and  very  hungry. 
We  drank  and  ate  deliberately  and  again  drank.  Galvius 
was  a  careful  husbander  of  the  wine,  and  we  drank  mostly 
water  from  the  spring. 

Afterwards,  nestled  in  the  not  unendurably  damp  straw, 
chilly,  but  not  shivering,  we  sat  or  lay  side  by  side  and  he 
urged  me  to  continue  my  story.  I  began  where  I  had  left 
off,  and,  going  into  the  smallest  details,  brought  my  history 
down  to  the  hour  of  my  consignment  to  our  dungeon- 
When  I  paused  he  sighed,  but  not  gloomily. 

"You  have  had  marvellous  adventures,"  he  said,  "and  mar- 


574  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

vellous  luck,  both  good  and  bad.  I  knew  that  Marcia  had 
belonged  to  your  uncle.  I  was  informed  of  the  existence  of 
Ducconius  Furfur,  of  his  likeness  to  Commodus,  of  his  pres- 
ence in  the  Palace,  of  his  utilization  as  a  dummy  Emperor, 
to  set  Commodus  free  to  masquerade  as  Palus,  and  I  heard 
that  he  had  been  your  neighbor. 

"Now  go  back,  begin  your  tale  at  the  beginning.  Tell  me 
of  your  getting  into  trouble  at  the  first,  of  how  you  escaped 
in  the  first  place.  I  have  often  wondered  how  you  man- 
aged it." 

"Give  me  a  respite,"  I  demurred,  "my  voice  is  tired.  It 
is  your  turn  to  talk.  Tell  me  how  you  learned  about  Duc- 
conius Furfur  and  about  Commodus  masquerading  as  Palus 
and  about  Marcia." 

"Why,"  he  said,  "I  had  friends  in  one  or  more  towns  when 
I  first  took  to  the  woods.  They  gave  me  tips  that  helped 
me  to  make  fine  hauls  on  the  highways.  As  I  prospered  I 
made  more  friends;  they  helped  me  and  my  growing  success 
gained  more,  till  I  had  friends  in  every  town  in  Italy  and 
in  Eome  itself  and  an  organized  service  of  road-messengers. 
Why,  Imperial  couriers  often  carried  letters  and  packets, 
destined  for  me,  from  one  town  to  another,  or  even  carried 
onward  letters  from  me  to  distant  friends  or  parcels  of  my 
booty. 

"In  Rome  itself  I  had  many  agents  and  chiefly  my  sister, 
Galvia  Crispinilla,  a  professional  procuress  and  poisoner, 
who  knew  the  worst  secrets  of  the  lives  of  all  Rome's  wealthy 
and  noble  debauchees,  and  our  brother,  Marcus  Galvius  Cris- 
pinillus,  a  professional  informer  and  a  valued  member  of 
the  Imperial  Secret  Service.  I  never  knew  why  he  had  a 
spite  against  you,  but  he  had  and  it  was  false  information 
given  by  him  that  caused  your  proscription  and  ruin  and 
thrust  you  into  your  years  of  misery.  I  always  felt  that 
you  did  not  deserve  what  you  have  suffered,  but  his  grudges 
were  none  of  my  business. 

"He  is  dead,  as  is  Galvia,  for  she  kept  poison  about  her 
and  gave  a  supply  to  him  and  to  me  to  use  in  case  of  capture. 
I  was  caught  without  mine,  for  I  was  certain  that  no  danger 


THE  TULLIANUM  575 

threatened  me.  He  and  she  took  the  poison  when  they  saw 
capture  inevitable,  as  it  will  be  for  most  evil-doers  all  over 
the  Empire  under  the  sway  of  such  a  man  as  Septimius 
Severus." 

He  paused  and  I  meditated  awhile,  puzzling  as  to  how 
I  could  have  incurred  the  vindictive  rancor  of  any  secret- 
service  agent. 

Presently  I  said: 

"Tell  me  how  you  came  to  be  King  of  the  Highwaymen/' 

"My  boy/5  he  said,  "my  case  is  far  different  from  yours. 
You  had  an  honorable  origin  and  an  honorable  past.  Nor 
were  any  of  your  adventures  discreditable  to  you,  even  if 
some  situations  you  have  been  in  were  distressing  then  and 
are  humiliating  to  remember.  You  have  nothing  to  be 
ashamed  of  unless  it  be  such  a  trifling  peccadillo  as  imper- 
sonating Salsonius  Salinator. 

"My  origin  I  shall  never  disclose,  not  even  to  a  brother 
in  misfortune.  My  life  has  been  one  long  series  of  perjuries, 
murders,  robberies,  debaucheries  and  ruthless  cruelties.  I 
have  been  deaf  to  all  considerations  of  decency,  pity  and 
mercy;  as  unmoved  by  such  feelings  as  will  be  the  savage 
beasts  which  spared  you  but  will  rend  me  to  shreds.  I  am 
at  the  end  of  my  crimes;  let  me  hide  them.  My  doom  is  at 
hand.  Why  should  I  defile  your  ears  with  the  tale  of  my 
atrocities  ?  Let  them  remain  untold." 

"You  slander  yourself/'  I  demurred.  "You  cannot  make 
me  believe  that  a  man  capable  of  condoning  my  balking  of 
your  great  coup  on  the  Flaminian  Highway,  capable  of  guid- 
ing me  to  this  bed  of  straw  and  of  offering  me  a  share  of 
his  bit  of  stale  bread  can  be  all  bad.  There  must  be  much 
in  your  past  life  less  dark  than  you  indicate/' 

He  ruminated. 

"Frankly/'  he  said,  "I  cannot  recall  anything  I  ever  did 
at  which  a  man  like  you  would  not  shudder.  I  have  been  a 
good  sport,  that  is  why  I  could  not  but  chuckle,  after  -my 
first  wrath  cooled,  at  your  spoiling  my  great  coup,  as  you 
call  it.  But,  all  my  life,  I  have  gloried  in  my  treacheries 
and  cruelties.  I  have  hated  all  mankind  and  been  merciless 


576  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

to  foes,  if  they  came  into  my  power,  and  have  pretended 
friendliness  I  did  not  feel  so  as  to  make  use  of  those  who 
thought  me  friendly. 

"I  can  well  recall  only  one  human  being  I  really  loved; 
my  wife.  She  had  her  weak  points,  for  she  was  a  despiser 
of  the  gods,  mocking  all  religion  and  addicted  to  some  con- 
temptible Syrian  cult  of  superstition  and  puerilities.  But 
I  loved  her  in  spite  of  that  failing,  for,  in  every  other  way, 
she  was  a  paragon.  She  is  dead  now  and  spared  the  agonies 
she  would  have  suffered  at  my  capture  and  fate.  Our  two 
daughters  are  safe;  both  healthy,  both  with  the  full  status 
of  citizens  of  the  Eepublic,  both  well  provided  with  posses- 
sions, each  married  to  a  good,  reliable  husband,  though  the 
younger  is  almost  too  young  to  be  a  wife.  I  feel  at  peace 
about  them. 

"I  really  loved  my  wife  and  in  a  way,  her  two  girls.  But, 
except  for  them,  I  have  cheated,  ensnared,  robbed  and  killed 
without  pity  or  remorse." 

"You  have  no  regrets?"  I  queried. 

"No  remorse/'  he  corrected  me.  "I  should  do  it  all  over 
again  if  I  were  back  as  I  was  when  I  took  to  brigandage. 

"Of  course,  while  my  wife  was  alive  and  I  hoped  for  an 
old  age  with  her,  I  had  a  dream  of  investing  my  savings  in 
a  house  in  some  out-of-the-way  town  and  in  an  estate  near  it 
and  living  at  ease  on  the  proceeds  of  my  robberies.  But 
that  was  always  far  off  in  the  future;  I  laid  up  a  hoard  to 
make  it  possible,  but  I  was  never  anywhere  near  ready  to 
make  use  of  that  hoard.  Now  it  has  been  divided  between 
my  daughters,  for,  after  their  mother's  death,  I  realized  that 
no  life  but  brigandage  was  possible  for  me.  If  I  had  not 
been  captured  I  should  have  gone  on  as  I  was,  I  should  go 
on  now,  could  I  escape  and  resume  my  old  life.  I  feel  no 
temorse. 

"But  I  confess  to  one  regret.  I  have,  all  my  life,  requited 
every  helper  and  paid  off  every  grudge.  But  one  benefactor, 
my  greatest  benefactor,  I  have  not  repaid,  although,  when 
I  learned  of  his  inestimable  service  to  me,  I  swore  a  great 
gath  to  requite  him,  if  it  ever  was  in  my  power.  I  have 


THE  TULLIANUM  577 

never  been  able  to  learn  who  he  was,  or  even  whether  he  is 
yet  living.  If  he  is,  I  hate  to  die  without  requiting  him  as 
he  deserves,  in  so  far  as  I  might. 

"And  I  own  that  I  was  and  am  keenly  curious  to  learn 
who  he  was.  The  mere  curiosity  gnaws  at  me.  Perhaps 
you  understand." 

"I  do/'  I  said.  "I  also  am  extremely  curious  about  a 
mystery  I  encountered  in  the  earlier  part  of  my  adventures. 
That  memory  urges  me  to  comply  with  your  request  for  the 
former  half  of  my  story." 

And,  beginning  with  my  uncle's  death,  I  narrated  all  my 
earlier  adventures.  When  I  told  of  the  cloaked  and  hatted 
horseman  by  the  roadside  in  the  rain,  the  day  of  the  brawl  in 
Vediamnum  and  the  affray  near  Villa  Satronia,  he  cut  in 
with: 

"That  was  my  brother,  Marcus.  He  was  detailed  to  report 
on  your  local  feud.  Whether  he  knew  of  you  before  that, 
whether  his  queer  spite  against  you  originated  then  or  ear- 
lier, I  don't  know.  He  took  dislikes  and  likes  without  any 
traceable  reasons." 

Similarly,  when  I  told  of  seeing  Marcus  Crispinillus  peer 
through  the  postern  door  of  Nemestronia's  water-garden  he 
interjected  some  remarks. 

He  uttered  admiring  ejaculations  as  I  told  of  wrestling 
with  the  leopard  on  the  terrace  at  Nemestronia's  and  of  how 
Agathemer  and  I  crawled  through  the  drain  at  Villa  An- 
divia,  also  at  my  tale  of  my  branding  and  scourging  and  of 
the  loyalty  of  Chryseros  Philargyrus. 

But,  when  I  came  to  our  discovery  of  the  hut  in  the  moun- 
tains, he  stirred  uneasily  in  the  rustling  straw  and  muttered 
in  his  throat.  As  I  described  our  winter  at  the  hut  he  became 
more  and  more  excited,  uttering  ejaculations,  half  suppressed 
at  first,  as  if  not  to  interrupt  my  narrative,  later  louder  and 
louder. 

When  I  told  of  our  killing  the  five  ruffians  he  sprang  up. 

"Say  no  more!"  he  cried.  "Come  to  my  arms.  Let  me 
embrace  you !  Let  me  clasp  you  close !  You  are  he !  You 
are  my  benefactor!  The  man  who  tells  that  story  in  such 


578  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

detail  cannot  have  heard  it  from  another,  he  must  have  lived 
it !  To  think  that  you  are  Felix  the  Horse-Master  and  also 
Andivius  Hcdulio  and  that  you  saved  my  Nona !  My  grati- 
tude cannot  be  expressed,  any  more  than  your  service  to  me 
can  be  requited.  But  I  shall  do  all  I  can.  The  gems  you 
took  were  but  a  trifle  and  you  were  welcome  to  them.  In 
fact,  I  never  missed  them.  In  any  case  they  were  but  an 
installment  on  what  you  deserved  and  now  deserve.  It  is 
not  yet  too  late  for  me  to  save  you.  I  can  cause  your  speedy 
release  and  probably  your  complete  rehabilitation.  They 
have  been  keeping  me  here  in  the  hope  of  extorting  from  me 
information  which  would  enable  them  to  ferret  out  my  con- 
federates in  the  towns  and  cities.  They  have  wheedled  and 
threatened,  but  have  hesitated  to  torture  me,  since  no  one 
doubts  that  I  was,  by  origin,  a  freeman.  I  have  held  out 
and  should  have  held  out,  even  if  tortured.  Now  I'll  make  a 
voluntary  confession,  enough  to  delight  the  magistrates. 
Chiefly  I'll  emphasize  your  complete  innocence  and  my  broth- 
er's malignity.  I'll  have  to  save  some  others  along  with  you 
and  I  shall.  But,  to  a  certainty,  I'll  save  you ! 

"It  seems  to  me  there  is  a  poplar-pole  somewhere  in  this 
dungeon." 

He  felt  about  and  presently  I  heard  a  dull  thumping,  on 
the  trap-door,  in  a  sort  of  rhythm,  like  the  foot-beating  of 
spectators  at  Oscan  dances.  After  no  long  interval  the  trap- 
door was  lifted;  Crispinillus  called  up: 

"Tell  them  I  have  changed  my  mind.  I'll  confess.  I'll 
make  a  full  confession.  I'll  tell  the  whole  story!" 

The  trap-door  was  replaced  and  we  were  again  in  com- 
plete darkness. 

He  settled  himself  beside  me  in  the  straw. 

"No  need  to  husband  our  provisions  now,"  he  said.  "Neither 
of  us  will  be  left  long  in  this  hole.  Let's  comfort  ourselves 
with  food  and  wine/' 

I  felt  inclined  the  same  way  and  we  munched  and  passed 
the  kidskin  back  and  forth. 

"Tell  me,"  I  said,  "how  it  was  that  your  thumping  brought 
such  a  quick  response." 


SEVERUS  579 

"I  signalled  in  the  code  of  knocking  known  to  all  jailers/* 
he  said. 

I  expressed  my  amazement  and  incredulity. 

"Don't  you  fool  yourself,"  he  said.  "There  is  a  certain  sort 
of  mutual  understanding  between  executioners  and  jailers 
on  the  one  hand  and  criminals  on  the  other.  There  must  be 
a  give  and  take  in  all  trades,  even  between  man-hunters  and 
hunted  men.  They  were  on  the  watch  for  any  signal  I  might 
give,  if  it  really  meant  anything.  They  were  pleased  to  hear. 
You'll  see  the  results  promptly/' 

In  fact,  after  no  long  interval,  the  trap-door  was  lifted 
again  and  a  rope  lowered,  up  which  Crispinillus  was  bidden 
to  climb. 

He  embraced  me  time  after  time,  saying  that  we  should 
never  set  eyes  on  each  other  again  and  that,  confession  or 
no  confession,  he  knew  his  doom  was  not  far  off;  but  he 
wanted  me,  as  long  as  I  lived,  to  remember  the  gratitude 
of  Nona's  husband,  his  thankfulness  for  my  treatment  of  his 
family  and  his  efforts  to  requite  the  service. 

"Keep  up  a  good  heart,  lad,"  he  said.  "You  won't  be  long 
here  alone  in  the  dark,  and  you'll  soon  be  as  coddled  and 
pampered  as  a  man  can  be.  Long  life  to  you  and  good  luck 
and  may  you  be  soon  married  and  raise  a  fine  family.  Peace 
of  mind  and  prosperity  to  you  and  yours  and  a  green  old 
age  to  you !" 

And  he  climbed  the  rope,  hand  over  hand,  like  the  beet 
sailor  on  Libo's  yacht. 


CHAPTER  XL 

SEVERUS 

NOT  many  hours  later,  I,  sleeping  soundly  in  the  straw, 
was  wakened  by  the  raising  of  the  trap-door.     Again 
a  rope  was  let  down.     This  time  two  of  the  Executioner's 
helpers  slid  down  the  dangling  rope.     They  addressed  me 


580  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

most  deferentially  and  asked  permission  to  prepare  me  to 
be  hauled  up,  thereupon  adjusting  the  ropes  about  me. 

In  the  upper  chamber  of  the  prison  I  was  rubbed  down 
and  clothed  in  the  best  sort  of  tunic,  shod  with  the  cere- 
monial boots  of  a  nobleman  and  wrapped  in  a  nobleman's 
outer  garments.  Then  I  was  led  off  to  the  nearest  point  to 
which  a  litter  may  approach  the  Mamertine  Prison.  The 
brilliant  sunrays  blinded  me  and  the  sight  of  Eome  in  the 
glory  of  a  mellow  July  afternoon  brought  the  tears  to  my 
eyes  and  made  me  gulp  and  swallow.  But  the  tears  did  not 
blind  me  too  much  to  recognize  Imperial  liveries  on  the 
litter-bearers  and  runners  and  intendant.  I  was  obsequiously 
invited  to  enter  the  litter,  the  panels  were  slid,  the  curtains 
drawn,  and  the  bearers  set  off.  They  carried  me  to  the 
Palace ! 

There  I  was  received  by  the  new  Chamberlain  in  person, 
to  be  sure  with  four  armed  guardsmen  accompanying  him, 
but  himself  as  deferential  as  possible.  By  him  I  was  con- 
ducted to  a  luxurious  apartment,  consisting  of  a  large  ante- 
room, a  private  library,  a  private  triclinium,  a  private  bath- 
room, and  two  bedrooms,  all  furnished  with  the  most  lavish 
abundance  and  in  perfect  taste. 

I  found  a  small  regiment  of  servants  to  minister  to  my 
wants:  a  valet,  a  masseur,  a  cook,  waiters,  errand-pages,  a 
reader  and  yet  others.  I  could  have  anything  I  asked  for  in 
that  apartment,  but  a  guard  at  its  outer  door  saw  to  it  that 
I  remained  in  it. 

There  I  was  bathed,  massaged,  obsequiously  asked  what 
dainties  and  wines  I  preferred,  supplied  with  all  I  suggested 
and  clothed  in  garments  to  my  liking;  huge  heaps  of  togas, 
mantles,  wraps,  tunics  and  shoes  being  brought  in  for  me 
to  choose  from.  There  I  spent  some  comfortable  days,  sleep- 
ing much,  having  myself  read  to,  mostly  from  the  private 
letters  of  the  Emperors,  and  from  the  Anticatones  of  the 
Divine  Julius;  and,  from  the  balcony  of  the  ante-room  enjoy- 
ing the  splendid  view  southwestwards,  over  the  Circus  Maxi- 
mus,  the  lower  reaches  of  the  Tiber  and  the  Campagna,  for 
my  apartment  was  on  that  side  of  the  Palace  and  high  up. 


SEVERUS  581 

When  I  asked  if  I  might  despatch  letters  to  my  friends  I 
was  told  that  the  Emperor  had  given  orders  that  I  was  to 
communicate  with  no  one  and  no  one  with  me.  I  worried 
over  Vedia's  anxiety  and  almost  as  much  over  the  probable 
disquiet  of  Agathemer,  Tanno  and  even  of  Galen.  But  I  was 
helpless  and  endeavored  to  be  calm.  I  was  certainly  com- 
fortable and  hopeful,  though  impatient. 

At  last,  after  six  days  of  this  luxurious  imprisonment,  on 
the  day  before  the  Ides  of  July,  sometime  before  noon,  my 
apartment  was  entered  by  Juvenalis  himself  in  the  full 
regalia  of  Prefect  of  the  Palace.  He  greeted  me  deferen- 
tially and  was  most  respectful.  He  informed  me  that  the 
Emperor  desired  an  interview  with  me  and  through  him  con- 
veyed to  me  his  regrets  that  it  had  had  to  be  postponed  so  long 
and  that  I  had  been  so  long  kept  in  confinement  and  seclusion. 
He  had  now  come  to  conduct  me  to  the  Emperor,  who  was  at 
last  free  to  spend  with  me  an  hour  or  more.  When  my  valet 
had  made  me  comfortable  and  had  prepared  me  for  my  pri- 
vate audience,  Juvenalis  escorted  me  to  the  upper  private 
audience-hall,  a  chamber  spacious  and  magnificent,  though 
somewhat  smaller  than  the  lower  private  audience-hall  and 
far  smaller  than  the  great  hall  for  public  audiences  or  the 
vast  throne-room. 

I  followed  Juvenalis  along  the  corridors,  elated  by  my 
nobleman's  attire,  but  nervous  at  the  prospect  of  coming 
face  to  face  with  the  master  of  Eome  and  Italy^  with  the 
prospective  (as  he  turned  out  to  be  in  fact)  master  of  the 
world. 

I  was  ushered  in  and  Juvenalis  withdrew,  shutting  the  door 
and  leaving  me  alone  with  the  great  man.  He  rose  from  his 
chair,  for  it  could  not  be  called  a  throne,  took  a  step  or  two 
towards  me  and  greeted  me  affably,  as  one  nobleman  another. 
He  bade  me  be  seated,  did  not  sit  down  himself  until  I  had 
taken  the  chair  he  indicated;  then  he  settled  himself  delib- 
erately. 

We  eyed  each  other,  in  silence.  I  cannot  conjecture  what 
he  thought  of  me,  but  I  can  never  forget  the  impression  made 
on  me  by  him. 


582  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

He  wore  the  Imperial  robes  consciously.  I  had  often  noted 
how  Commodus  wore  his  without  thought,  as  any  fisherman 
wears  his  rags.  Severus  was  aware  of  his  regalia,  and  espe- 
cially of  the  sky-blue  shoes  with  the  Imperial  Eagles  embroi- 
dered on  them  in  gold  thread.  He  looked  a  man  in  the  best 
of  health,  completely  fit  for  a  frontier  command,  for  open 
campaigning,  full  of  surplus  energy,  hard-muscled,  spare  and 
enduring.  Also  he  looked  as  competent,  discerning,  clear- 
headed and  ruthless  as  a  man  could  be.  Most  of  all  I  diag- 
nosed him  as  economical  of  himself,  of  his  men  and  of  his 
possessions,  especially  of  cash;  as  swayed  by  self-interest 
alone,  as  flinty-hearted;  yet  as  capable  of  kindliness  when  it 
did  not  interfere  with  his  plans  and  was  not  too  expensive. 

I  waited  in  silence  for  him  to  speak.     He  said: 

"I  am  a  very  busy  man,  even  far  too  busy.  Commodus 
left  the  treasury  empty  and  every  department  of  the  govern- 
ment inefficient.  Pertinax  refilled  the  treasury,  but  his  at- 
tempts at  reorganization  merely  disorganized  everything  and 
prepared  for  the  general  confusion  which  came  about  under 
Julianus.  With  insufficient  funds  I  must  fill  the  Treasury, 
reorganize  the  whole  governmental  machinery,  get  it  to  work- 
ing dependably  and  smoothly,  and  at  the  same  time  prepare 
for  a  civil  war  which  I  hope  to  win,  but  of  which  I  can 
foretell  the  outcome  no  better  than  could  the  Divine  Julius 
be  sure  of  the  outcome  of  his  when  he  crossed  the  Kubicon. 
Amid  all  these  cares  and  occupations  I  must  keep  fit  and 
must  do  all  I  can  to  win  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all 
classes  by  rectifying,  as  far  as  I  may,  the  consequences  of 
the  inattention  of  my  predecessors  and  of  the  knavery  and 
venality  of  their  subordinates.  And  I  must  hurry  off  to 
deal  with  Pescennius  Niger,  who  is  no  mean  antagonist.  Al- 
together I  have  no  time  for  trifles. 

"But  I  do  not  reckon  your  case  as  a  trifle,  though  the  safety 
of  the  Republic  by  no  means  hinges  on  it.  And  I  am  more 
interested  in  you  than  in  any  one  individual  outside  of  my 
family  and  connections.  I  have  never  heard  of  a  man 
brought  so  near  death,  so  ruined,  but  for  the  singular  favor 
of  the  gods  so  utterly  and  so  hopelessly  mined,  subjected  to 


SEVERUS  58S 

finch  dangers  and  miseries,  so  baselessly,  by  such  malevolent 
misrepresentations  and  fabrications.  You  deserve  to  be 
recompensed.  You  shall  be.  And  besides  the  merits  of  your 
case  I  am  curious  about  you. 

"You  must  be  curious  yourself. 

"When  I  foresaw  that  I  was  likely  to  be  acclaimed  Em- 
peror by  my  soldiers  and  welcomed  by  the  Senate  as  Prince 
of  the  Republic,  I  set  on  foot  various  measures  certain  to 
benefit  the  Commonwealth  and  the  Empire.  Especially  I 
made  an  effort  to  abolish  or  at  least  curb  the  banditry,  brig- 
andage and  outlawry  which  corrupts  the  entire  rural  popu- 
lation of  Italy  and  is  a  national  disgrace.  I  was  successful 
in  so  far  as  that  my  emissaries  broke  up  most  of  the  bands 
of  outlaws  and  captured  many  of  them,  particularly  the  most 
famous  of  all,  known  as  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen. 

"I  had  made  sure  to  have  secret  agents  watching  all  my 
emissaries,  on  whatever  errand  I  had  sent  them.  These 
secret  agents  reported  that  powerful  influences  were  at  work 
to  bring  about  the  escape  of  this  arch-criminal.  I  set  reli- 
able men  to  find  out  what  those  influences  were.  Their  in- 
vestigations led  straight  to  Marcus  Galvius  Crispinillus,  a 
life-long  member  of  the  Imperial  secret  service,  universally 
known  as  a  professional  informer,  yet  considered  second  to 
no  man  in  the  secret  service  as  to  usefulness  and  reliability, 
the  only  man  among  the  spies  of  Commodus  who  had  been 
trusted  and  retained  by  Pertinax  and  Julianus,  the  very  man 
whom  my  relations  in  Rome,  who  had  kept  me  posted  as  to 
conditions  here,  had  represented  as  most  likely  to  be  depend- 
able and  serviceable.  I  ordered  him  apprehended  but  he  and 
his  despicable  sister,  Galvia  Crispinilla,  escaped  arrest  by 
taking  some  of  her  poison.  Their  papers  were  seized,  but 
so  huge  was  the  mass  of  them  and  so  great  their  confusion 
that  they  could  not  be  put  in  order  and  their  secrets  utilized 
at  once.  So  sluggishly  did  their  unravelling  proceed  that, 
although  it  was  manifest  at  once  that  the  precious  pair  had 
been  agents  in  Rome  for  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen,  had 
marketed  for  him  his  booty,  had  kept  up  an  almost  daily 
correspondence  with  him,  had  warned  him  of  all  facts  and 


584  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

rumors  likely  to  affect  him,  had  maintained  a  highly  organ- 
ized and  cleverly  concealed  system  of  secret  agents  and  road- 
messengers  for  his  benefit  and  theirs ;  yet,  until  his  voluntary 
confession,  neither  I  nor  anyone  else  concerned  had  the 
slightest  inkling  that  the  King  of  the  Highwaymen  was 
named  Caius  Galvius  Crispinillus  and  was  a  full  brother  to 
the  procuress  and  poisoner  and  the  professional  spy,  who  had 
committed  suicide  to  escape  retribution  for  their  villainies. 
.Until  his  confession  was  brought  to  my  attention  I  had 
equally  no  inkling  that  all  relevant  aspersions  upon  you  had 
originated  with  or  been  transmitted  by  Marcus  G-alvius  Cris- 
pinillus. 

"The  case  against  you,  on  the  basis  of  the  papers  filed  at 
Secret  Service  Headquarters,  was  most  damnatory.  You 
were  represented  to  have  been  the  man  who  had  suggested  to 
Egnatius  Capito  the  formation  of  his  conspiracy  against 
Commodus;  and  to  have  planned  for  him  the  inclusion  in  it 
of  all  undetected  survivors  of  the  members  of  Lucilla's  abor- 
tive conspiracy  of  the  year  before;  to  have  offered  yourself 
as  the  most  likely  man  to  succeed  in  assassinating  Commodus, 
as  he  held  you  in  high  regard  for  some  exploit  in  some  road- 
side affray  in  Sabinum;  to  have  pretended  illness  as  a  cloak 
for  your  machinations.  Then  it  was  represented,  circum- 
stantially, that,  after  the  detection  and  foiling  of  Capito's 
conspiracy,  you  had  taken  ship  for  Spain,  made  your  way 
to  the  camp  of  the  rebel,  Maternus,  won  his  confidence,  sug- 
gested to  him  the  idea  of  a  secret  march  on  Eome,  of  the 
assassination  of  Commodus  during  the  Festival  of  Cybele, 
planned  for  him  the  details  of  that  secret  march,  managed 
it  for  him  and  come  all  the  way  from  Spain  to  Eome  with 
him. 

"When  his  attempt  failed,  you,  alone  among  his  henchmen, 
escaped.  You  then,  according  to  the  reports,  went  straight 
to  Britain,  visited  every  important  camp,  infused  into  the 
garrisons  the  spirit  of  discontent,  engineered  their  mutiny, 
suggested  to  them  the  sending  of  a  dangerously  large  deputa- 
tion to  Rome,  led  that  deputation  and  were  its  controlling 
spirit  all  the  way  to  Rome,  vanishing  successfully  when  the 


SEVERUS  585 

mutineers  were  induced  by  Oleander  to  return  to  Britain, 
and  their  associates,  by  his  device,  were  massacred  or  con- 
signed to  ergastula. 

"With  such  reports  in  my  hands,  with  additions  declaring 
that  while  neither  your  presence  nor  your  influence  could 
be  proved,  you  were  probably  the  guiding  spirit  in  the  assas- 
sination of  Pertinax,  it  is  no  wonder  that  I,  crediting  these 
apparently  sincere  and  trustworthy  statements,  considered 
you  the  most  dangerous  among  all  the  survivors  of  conspira- 
cies against  my  predecessors,  which  conspirators,  on  principle, 
I  meant  to  exterminate  as  an  obvious  measure  of  mere  sen- 
sible precaution. 

"No  one  seems  to  have  recognized  you  as  Andivius  Hedulio 
while  you  were  in  the  service  of  Pompeianus  Falco  under  the 
name  of  Phorbas,  except  only  Galen,  who  has  explained  and 
justified  to  me  his  reasons  for  protecting  you,  of  which  I 
entirely  approve.  He  did  well.  As  Phorbas  I  heard  of  you 
first,  when  it  was  represented  to  me  that  you  had  murdered 
your  late  master  and  been  cleared  by  that  indulgent  humani- 
tarian, Lollius  Corbulo;  that  the  case  was  a  most  flagrant 
miscarriage  of  justice  and  that  such  slackness  would  breed  a 
crop  of  such  murders  unless  temptation  was  counteracted  by 
severity.  I  then  directed  Cassius  Eavillanus  to  deal  with  you, 
for  I  trusted  him. 

"When,  in  the  arena  of  the  Colosseum,  I  saw  the  savage, 
ravening  beasts  not  only  spare  you  but  fawn  on  you,  I  felt 
sure  that  you  had  been  falsely  convicted,  that  you  were  inno- 
cent and  that  the  gods  had  intervened  to  save  you.  Later, 
when  I  heard  the  cries  of  'Festus'  and  they  were  explained 
to  me,  I  was  doubly  incensed  against  you.  That  no  beast 
would  touch  you,  even  when  bound  and  your  face  covered, 
convinced  me  of  your  complete  innocence. 

"Thereupon,  after  I  had  ordered  you  released,  I  had  turned 
my  attention  again  to  the  spectacle  of  the  games  in  the  arena, 
promising  myself  an  interview  with  you  later,  for  I  was 
intensely  curious  about  you.  But,  that  very  day,  before 
dark,  Flavius  Clemens  craved  a  brief  private  audience  with 
toe  and  informed  me  that  he  had  recognized  you  as  Andivius 


686  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

Hedulio  and  that  you  had  confessed  your  identity.  I  ordered 
you  at  once  into  the  Tullianum,  pending  my  decision  as  to 
how  to  wring  from  you  a  complete  disclosure  of  your  villainies 
and  accomplices  before  putting  you  to  death. 

"Then,  to  my  amazement,  the  confession  of  the  King  of 
the  Highwaymen  represented  you  as  a  wholly  innocent  man, 
incredibly  slandered  and  calumniated,  and  all  by  Marcus 
Galvius  Crispinillus,  why  and  for  what  end  was  unknown. 

"I  at  once  ordered  you  released  and  brought  to  the  Palace. 
Here  I  have  kept  you  in  unmerited  confinement  until  the 
papers  of  your  traducer  could  be  sifted  and  I  could  go  over 
those  relevant  to  your  case.  Manifestly  you  never  had  any- 
thing to  do  with  inciting  any  conspiracy  or  any  march  on 
Rome.  All  aspersions  on  you  were  invented  by  Crispinillus, 
I  am  inexpressibly  curious  about  you.  I  want  you  to  tell 
me  your  story  in  your  own  way,  in  detail,  taking  your  time. 
In  particular  I  want  to  learn  how  you  came  to  be  with 
Maternus  and  later  with  the  mutineers  from  Britain.  I  am 
at  leisure  to  harken." 

He  had  put  me  entirely  at  my  ease.  Manifestly  he  wanted 
to  hear  my  story,  was  in  the  mood  to  listen,  and  rather  enjoyed 
the  respite  from  care  which  this  carefully  arranged  interval 
of  leisure  gave  him.  I  felt  emboldened  and  began  with  an 
explanation  of  the  feud  between  the  Satronians  and  the 
Vedians,  of  the  lawsuit  between  Ducconius  Furfur  and  my 
uncle,  and  of  his  purchase  of  Marcia  from  Ummidius  Quad- 
ratus  and  his  manumission  of  her. 

After  these  preliminaries  I  launched  into  my  story.  He 
listened  attentively  and  with  every  indication  of  lively  inter- 
est, with  few  interruptions.  Once  he  clapped  for  his  pages 
And  had  in  snow-cooled  wine  to  refresh  me  and  soothe  my 
throat.  Upon  my  account  of  my  wrestle  with  Nemestronia's 
leopard  he  cut  in  with  a  series  of  questions  as  to  my  power 
over  animals.  When  I  came  to  my  encounter  with  Pescen- 
nius  Niger  he  was  keenly  interested,  as  in  my  report  of  his 
reputation  in  Marseilles,  according  to  Doris,  and  uttered 
one  or  two  remarks.  Otherwise  he  was  apparently  absorbed 
in  my  narrative. 


SEVERUS  587 

When  it  was  over  he  said: 

"I  believe  you,  your  story  sounds  true;  all  of  it  You 
have  had  amazing  adventures  and  have  escaped  alive  mani- 
festly by  the  special  favor  of  the  immortal  gods,  particularly 
of  Mercury.  Like  you,  I  pay  special  attention  to  winning 
and  keeping  the  favor  of  Mercury,  though,  of  course,  for  me, 
as  for  all  soldiers,  Mithras  is  the  most  important  god. 

"You  may  be  very  sure  that  I  shall,  as  far  as  may  be, 
provide  that  no  informer  or  secret-service  agent  can  ever 
again  succeed  in  gaining  credence  for  baseless  fabrications, 
such  as  those  from  which  you  have  suffered.  I  shall  endeavor 
to  have  it  arranged  that  reports  of  any  one  agent  be  checked 
up  by  reports  of  another,  the  two  being  wholly  unknown  to 
each  other.  Thus  no  man  shall,  if  I  can  prevent  it,  again 
be  persecuted  as  you  have  been.  I  am  shocked  at  such  laxity 
and  I  shudder  at  the  power  wielded  by  Marcus  Galvius  Cris- 
pinillus,  and  at  his  misuse  of  it.  I  can  find  no  trace  of  any 
reasonable  motive;  he  seems  to  have  slandered  you  from 
mere  whim  or  the  mere  love  of  causing  misery,  or  some  spite 
or  perhaps  to  increase  the  impression  of  his  own  importance. 

"Now  there  looms  before  me  the  duty  of  seeing  you  restored 
to  your  rights,  as  to  both  rank  and  property. 

"In  respect  to  your  standing  as  a  Eoman  nobleman  there 
has  been,  is  and  will  be  no  difficulty.  I  have  had  everything 
attended  to  and  all  necessary  formalities  have  been  gone 
through,  all  official,  public  records  made.  You  are  a  Roman 
nobleman  in  good  standing  with  every  right  which  your  birth 
assured  you. 

"As  to  your  property  matters  are  not  so  simple.  I  find 
that  you  will  be  very  wealthy,  anyhow,  as  the  heir  of  one- 
fourth  of  the  estate  of  your  late  master,  Pompeianus  Falco, 
and  also  as  inheritor  of  his  marvellous  collection  of  gems  and 
curios,  therefore,  even  without  anything  of  your  confiscated 
property,  you  will  be  affluent. 

"But  that  does  not  absolve  me  from  the  duty  of  seeing 
justice  done  you ;  of  putting  you  in  possession  of  your  house 
here  in  Eome  and  of  your  estates  in  Sabinum,  and  in  Brut- 
tium.  I  find  that  all  these  were  held  by  the  fiscus  until 


588  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

after  the  death  of  Oleander.  Owing  to  the  destruction  of  a 
large  part  of  the  Palace  records  in  the  great  fire  I  cannot 
make  sure  whether  what  I  am  told  is  true.  I  am  told  that 
your  town  house  and  country  estates  were  granted  by  the 
fiscus,  under  proper  seal,  ostensibly  by  the  command  of  Corn- 
modus,  to  the  present  owner.  That  present  owner  is  in 
possession  of  the  official  transfer  deeds  and  they  are  properly 
made  out.  Yet  neither  from  the  present  owner  nor  from 
the  deeds  can  it  be  ascertained  which  Prefect  of  the  Palace 
authorized  the  transfer.  Between  Oleander  and  Aemilius 
Laetus,  Commodus  had  thirty  different  Prefects  of  the  Palace, 
most  of  them  for  very  brief  terms,  one  for  less  than  a  full 
day,  for  he  was  appointed  after  noon  one  day  and  put  to 
death  before  noon  of  the  day  following.  To  a  certainty,  I 
cannot  ever  get  legal  proof  that  the  grant  was  gotten  by 
bribery  or  was  in  any  way  illegal. 

"Therefore  I  cannot  command  the  present  holder  to  return 
your  former  property  to  the  fiscus,  in  order  that  the  fiscus 
may  turn  it  over  to  you.  Nor  is  there  any  precedent  for  one 
Prince  revoking  a  grant  made  under  a  predecessor.  Nor 
is  there  anything  in  our  law  or  customs  enabling  me  to  bid 
the  present  holder  to  sell  back  to  the  fiscus  your  entire  former 
property,  even  at  a  high  valuation. 

"Moreover  I  do  not  feel  that  I  ought,  unless  I  must,  take 
from  the  treasury  the  cash  necessary  to  repurchase  your  house 
and  estates,  so  as  to  be  able  to  restore  you  to  full  possession 
of  them;  or  to  hand  you  a  sum  in  cash  sufficient  to  recom- 
pense you  for  the  confiscation  of  your  heritage. 

"Yet,  whatever  straits  the  treasury  may  be  in,  I  pledge 
you  my  word  that,  if  you  cannot  recover  full  possession  of 
your  estates  in  any  other  way,  I  shall  compel  the  present 
holder  to  release  them  to  the  fiscus  and  shall  order  the  fiscus 
to  restore  them  to  you,  I,  out  of  our  depleted  treasury,  paying 
the  present  holder,  but  I  do  not  want  to  resort  to  this  unless 
all  other  means  fail. 

"Hoping  that  the  matter  may  be  adjusted  in  another  way, 
easier  for  all  three  of  us,  I  have  arranged  to  have  the 
present  holder  of  your  former  estates  here  in  the  Palace. 


SEVERUS  589 

When  this  interview  between  you  and  me  terminates,  I  shall 
have  you  escorted  to  a  room  where  you  will  find  awaiting 
you  the  present  holder  of  your  former  estates.  If  you  two 
cannot  come  to  some  agreement  by  which,  with  full  satisfac- 
tion to  both  of  you,  you  become  again  possessed  of  your 
patrimony,  I  shall  then  take  the  measures  to  which  I  have 
pledged  myself. 

"To  that  end  I  have  given  orders  that,  if  you  formally 
make  request  for  a  second  private  audience  with  me,  you  shall 
have  it,  although  I  must  leave  Rome  for  the  East  within  eight 
days  and  cannot  despatch  the  imperative  business  awaiting 
me,  even  if  I  could  go  without  food,  rest  or  sleep.  I  mean 
what  I  say,  you  are  to  ask  for  a  second  audience  if  you 
really  want  one  and  if  you  ask  for  one  you  shall  have  it  But 
do  not  ask  for  it  unless  you  must. 

"And  now,  is  there  anything  else  you  desire  to  say,  or  to 
request  or  any  query  you  wish  to  put  to  me?  If  so,  I  author- 
ize and  command  you  to  speak." 

Choking,  I  muttered  that  I  had  nothing  further  to  say. 

"In  that  case,"  said  the  Emperor,  standing  up,  "this  inter- 
view is  at  an  end.  You  shall  be  conducted  to  your  conference 
with  the  present  owner  of  your  former  estates,  which  I  hope 
may  turn  out  to  your  full  satisfaction." 

And  he  clapped  his  hands  for  a  page. 

The  page  conducted  me  through  endless  corridors,  twist- 
ing and  turning.  During  that  brief  interval  I  did  a  great 
deal  of  very  confused  thinking.  I  was  dazed  and  puzzled. 
I  had  realized  as  he  ended  his  harangue  that  it  would  have 
been  ridiculous  to  ask  that  man  to  change  his  mind  or  even 
modify  a  decision.  He  was  not  that  sort  of  Emperor.  Yet 
he  had  pledged  himself  to  restore  to  me  my  estates  or  recom- 
pense me  in  cash.  I  felt  that  he  meant  it;  yet  I  knew  that 
he  would  never  have  uttered  that  pledge  if  he  had  felt  that 
there  was  the  remotest  chance  of  his  ever  being  called  on  to 
fulfill  it.  He  was  too  parsimonious  to  promise  such  generosity 
unless  absolutely  certain  that  the  occasion  for  it  would  never 
confront  him.  Yet  how  could  he  escape  it  and  why  did  he 
feel  so  sure?  How  could  any  beneficiary  from  such  a  grant 


590  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

of  confiscated  property  be  induced  to  disgorge  except  by 
Imperial  order  and  that  with  full  compensation?  Why  had 
Severus  so  sedulously,  yet  so  obviously,  avoided  naming  the 
present  holder  of  my  former  property?  The  Emperor  was 
an  austere  man,  stern  by  habit,  almost  grim  by  nature,  cer- 
tainly serious.  He  had  spoken  seriously.  Yet  I  sensed  a 
jest  somewhere  in  the  background  of  his  thoughts.  I  almost 
believed  I  had  caught  the  glint  of  a  twinkle  in  his  hard,  g*ay 
eyes.  Could  I  be  wrong?  Could  I  be  right? 

It  seemed  like  a  jest  to  send  me  to  an  interview  with  a 
beneficiary  of  a  grant  of  confiscated  property,  enriched 
thereby,  and  to  imply,  even  to  suggest,  that  he  might  be 
induced  to  restore  to  me  his  acquisitions,  without  pressure, 
merely  by  amicable  converse.  I  conjured  up  before  me  the 
probable  appearance  of  the  man  I  was  to  meet ;  perhaps  gross 
and  greedy  like  Satronius  Satro,  perhaps  dwarfish  and  mean 
like  Vedius  Vedianus,  probably  like  anyone  of  the  avaricious 
magnates,  associated  with  Pullanius,  whom  I  had  met  while 
impersonating  Salsonius  Salinator. 

I  resented  the  possibility  of  an  Imperial  jest.  I  was  more 
and  more  dazed  and  puzzled  the  nearer  I  approached  the  in- 
evitable interview  and  the  nearer  I  approached  it  the  more 
futile  and  hopeless  it  seemed  and  the  more  despondent  I  grew. 

The  page  paused  at  a  door,  opened  it,  waved  me  in  and 
shut  it. 

I  was  in  a  small  parlor,  and  there  was  no  other  man  in 
it;  I  saw  only  one  seated  human  figure,  a  woman,  a  lady, 
a  graceful  young  woman,  a  charming  young  woman. 

Then,  suddenly,  I  saw  through  it  all. 

My  troubles  were  indeed  at  an  end. 

I  recognized  Vedia! 


EPILOGUE 

1DO  not  think  it  necessary  to  describe  in  detail  my  mar- 
riage to  Vedia,  nor  our  dinners  at  Nemestronia's,  at 
Tanno's,  at  Segontius  Almo's;  nor  the  dinners  we  gave  at 
my  old  home,  after  it  had  been  fitted  up  to  our  liking,  all 
trace  of  its  occupancy  by  tenants  effaced  and  we  had  settled 
there. 

Why  tell  at  length  of  my  manumission  of  Agathemer,  of 
my  endowment  of  him  with  a  goodly  share  of  my  heritage 
from  poor  Falco,  or  of  his  disposition  of  Falco's  gems  and 
his  rapid  acquisition  of  vast  wealth  and  of  his  continued 
prosperity  ? 

When  my  misfortunes  began  Nemestronia  was  past  her 
eighty-fourth  birthday.  After  my  rehabilitation  Vedia  and 
I  helped  at  the  celebration  of  her  ninety-fifth,  and  of  three 
more. 

Nemestronia  lived  almost  to  her  hundredth  birthday,  in 
full  possession  of  her  faculties  and,  until  near  the  end,  in 
marvellously  good  health.  She  is  still  remembered  as  hav- 
ing been  the  oldest  noble  matron  ever  known  in  Rome. 

Like  her,  Chryseros  Philargyrus,  though  long  past  the 
usual  term  of  human  life  when  my  disasters  overtook  us, 
survived  my  nine  winters  of  adventures  and  lived  to  greet  me 
as  a  son  rearisen  from  the  dead,  in  the  tenth  summer  after 
he  had  sped  me  on  my  way  in  the  midnight  woods  from  Duc- 
conius  Furfur's  land. 

Enough  to  say  that  Vedia  and  I,  from  a  second-floor  bal- 
cony, watched  pass  the  triumphal  procession  of  our  great 
Prince  of  the  Republic,  Septimius  Severus,  when  he  returned 
victorious  over  both  his  rivals  and  reentered  Rome,  indubi- 
tably master  of  the  world. 

As  to  my  later  life  I  cannot  forbear  remarking  that  I  am 

591 


592  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

the  only  man  with  pierced  ears  who  ever  mingled  as  an  equal 
with  the  bathers  in  the  Baths  of  Titus,  the  only  man,  cer- 
tainly, with  a  brand  mark  on  his  shoulder  and  scourge-scars 
on  his  back  who  ever  habitually  frequented  that  most  mag- 
nificent of  our  fashionable  pleasure-resorts.  My  brand- 
marks  and  scourge-scars  have  not  diminished  my  enjoyment 
of  life  except  that  they  frequently  give  bores  a  pretext  for 
insisting  on  my  narrating  my  adventures. 

Of  course,  as  in  my  city  mansion,  so  also  at  Villa  Andivia, 
I  have  had  constructed  and  consecrated  a  handsome  private 
chapel  to  Mercury. 


NOTES  TO  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

A.     THE  ROMAN  ADMINISTRATIVE  SYSTEM 

FROM  the  expulsion  of  the  Kings,  the  people  of  Rome, 
assembled  in  their  voting-field  outside  their  city,  each 
year  elected  the  magistrates  for  the  year:  others,  and  espe- 
cially quaestors,  answering  to  our  army-paymaster  and  custom- 
house collectors;  praetors  (judges,  generals  and  governors 
of  provinces),  and  two  consuls,  acting  as  chief -magistrates 
and  generals-in-chief.  A  man  was  generally  first  quaestor, 
later  praetor  and  finally  consul,  often  holding  other  inter- 
mediary offices. 

Ex-officials,  who  had  held  the  more  important  offices  of 
the  Republic,  became  by  immemorial  custom  life-members 
of  the  Senate,  which  was  never  an  elective,  always  a  selec- 
tive body,  without  legal  authority  but  with  great  influence. 
As  the  Republic's  Empire  spread  the  Senate  was  less  and 
less  able  to  control  provincial  governors,  until  such  self- 
confident  geniuses  as  Sulla,  Caesar  and  Augustus  became  able 
to  control  it.  The  Roman  Republic  was  never  abolished,  and 
did  not  die  till  the  Turks  captured  Constantinople  in  1453. 
It  conquered  a  great  Empire  and  when  its  Senate  could  no 
longer  control  the  magistrates  who  managed  that  Empire, 
its  soldiers  who,  by  conquering  and  holding  provinces  to 
pay  taxes  maintained  the  Empire  and  the  Republic,  wearied 
of  the  incompetence  of  the  Senate's  appointees,  of  the  squab- 
bles and  strife  of  their  leaders,  chose  by  acclamation  one 
commander  whom  they  loved  and  trusted.  The  Senate, 
at  his  mercy,  legalized  his  sovereignty  by  conferring  on  him 
for  life  the  powers  of  a  Tribune,  an  official  who  could  initiate 
nothing,  but  had  the  legal  power  to  forbid  anything  and 
everything. 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

The  Senate  continued  to  administer  those  provinces 
reckoned  safe  from  invasion  or  insurrection;  always  two 
governed  by  ex-consuls  and  about  ten  governed  each  by  an 
ex-praetor.  It  continued  to  dispose  of  the  funds  derived 
from  their  taxes  and  to  recruit  itself  from  ex-magistrates 
and  to  retain  much  of  its  influence,  dignity  and  importance. 

The  outer  provinces  and  those  prone  to  turbulence  were 
governed  not  by  ex-consuls  and  ex-praetors  acting  in  the 
name  of  the  Senate,  but  each  by  a  deputy  of  the  Emperor, 
styled  propraetor,  praeses,  or  procurator.  These  were  called 
imperial  provinces.  The  magistrates  of  the  senatorial  prov- 
inces were,  under  the  Empire,  no  longer  elected  by  the  people, 
but  appointd  by  the  Senate,  with  or  without  an  indication 
of  the  Emperor's  wishes. 

The  Eomans  never  devised  any  method  of  choosing  a  chief 
magistrate  other  than  acclamation  by  an  army  and  confirma- 
tion by  the  Senate,  creating  an  Emperor.  If  two  commanders 
at  about  the  same  time  were  separately  saluted  "Imperator," 
as  were  Septimius  Severus  and  Pescennius  Niger,  there  was 
no  method  of  adjudicating  their  conflicting  claims  except 
by  Civil  War  and  the  survival  of  one  Imperator  only. 

B.    THE  FISCUS 

From  this  word  comes  our  "confiscate,"  "to  turn  totally 
into  the  Fiscus."  A  fiscus  was  a  large  basket,  such  as  were 
used  by  all  Roman  financial  concerns  to  contain  live  vouchers. 
The  fiscus  was  the  organization  managing  the  public  prop- 
erty, income  and  expenditures  of  the  Roman  Emperor.  It 
controlled  the  proceeds  of  the  taxes  of  all  the  imperial  prov- 
inces and  of  the  domains,  mines,  quarries,  fisheries,  factories, 
town  property  and  whatever  else  the  fiscus  held  for  the 
Emperors,  impersonally.  It  gathered  in  all  moneys  and 
possessions  forfeited  for  suicide,  crime  or  treason. 

C.     THE  ROMAN  CALENDAR 

All  primitive  calendars  went  by  the  moon.  Moon  and 
month  are  the  same  word  in  English.  No  more  than  Hengist 


NOTES  TO  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

and  Horsa  could  the  early  Komans  have  conceived  of  a 
month  not  beginning  with  the  day  of  the  new  moon,  as  all 
months  hegin  yet  in  the  Jewish  and  Mohammedan  calen- 
dars. 

The  first  day  of  each  month  the  Romans  called  its  Kalends 
(announcement  day).  After  that  day  they  called  each  day 
so  many  before  the  Nones  (half  moon),  then  so  many  before 
the  Ides  (full  moon),  then  so  many  to  the  Kalends  of  the 
next  month.  Julius  Caesar,  impatient  with  the  difficulties 
of  fitting  together  the  solar  and  lunar  calendars,  bade  his 
experts  ignore  the  moon  and  divide  the  solar  year  into 
twelve  months.  They  did,  and  his  calendar,  with  trifling 
improvements,  has  lasted  till  our  days.  The  Romans  con- 
tinued to  reckon  days  before  the  Nones,  Ides  and  Kalends. 
The  Nones  fell  on  the  seventh  of  March,  May,  July  and  Octo- 
ber, on  the  fifth  of  the  other  months;  the  Ides  on  the 
fifteenth  of  March,  May,  July  and  October  and  on  the 
thirteenth  of  the  rest. 

D.    THE  LEGION 

The  legion,  always  the  largest  fighting  unit  of  the  Homan 
armies,  corresponded  most  nearly  to  our  regiment,  but  had 
also  features  of  our  brigade.  It  was  always  rostered  as  of 
6,000  men,  all  told.  But  the  causes  which  operate  in  all 
armies  brought  it  about  that  a  legion  in  the  field  had 
usually  about  5,000  men.  It  was  divided  into  sixty  bodies 
resembling  our  companies,  called  centuries,  because  nominally 
of  100  men,  each  commanded  by  a  centurion.  The  Roman 
army  never,  like  ours,  had  tiering  grades  of  officers;  it  always, 
theoretically,  consisted  of  soldiers,  centurions  and  the  com- 
mander: other  officers  were  additional  and  special.  Each 
centurion  chose  from  among  his  men  an  optio,  to  assist  him 
and  to  take  his  place  if  killed.  These  optiones  corresponded 
most  nearly  to  our  corporals,  but  their  duties  and  authority 
were  always  very  vague.  The  centurions  corresponded  to 
our  sergeants,  in  that  they  were  picked  men  from  the  ranks, 
but  they  had  all  the  duties  and  powers  of  our  lieutenants 


ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

and,  some  of  them,  of  much  higher  officers.  Three  cen- 
turies made  up  a  maniple,  more  or  less  like  one  of  our  bat- 
talions, each  commanded  by  its  senior  centurion.  Two 
maniples  made  up  a  cohort,  also  commanded  by  its  senior 
centurion,  and  the  ten  centurions  commanding  cohorts  were 
the  actual  officers  of  the  legion,  its  head  centurion  an  officer 
of  great  importance. 

True,  a  tnbunus  militum  (tribune  of  the  soldiers)  was 
attached  to  each  cohort;  but  he  did  more  advising  than  com- 
manding, though,  in  theory,  he  represented  the  general.  The 
tribunes  answered  to  our  captains.  Under  the  Empire  each 
legion  was  commanded  by  a  legatus,  who  also  represented  the 
general  in  his  absence.  Such  an  officer  corresponded  most 
nearly  to  our  colonel,  but  had  many  of  the  characteristics  of 
a  brigadier-general. 

E.    "Ubi  tu  Ccvius,  ego  Caia." 

These  words,  never  varied  whatever  the  names  of  the 
bride  and  groom,  were  the  kernel  of  the  Eoman  wedding  ritual 
and  after  their  utterance  the  bride  was  a  wife.  They  corre- 
spond to  the  "I  do"  and  "love,  honor  and  obey"  of  our  cus- 
tomary marriage  formulas.  As  Caius  and  Caia  were  far 
and  away  the  most  frequent  names  among  the  Romans  the 
phrase  might  be  rendered :  "Where  you  are  Jack,  I'm  Jill." 

No  English  words  convey  precisely  the  mingling  of 
banter,  and  earnestness,  of  archness,  devotion,  shyness  and 
fervor  implied  in  the  Latin  words  as  uttered  by  Vedia. 

P.     OPTIONES 

Private  soldiers  chosen  by  their  centurions  as  informal  as- 
sistant-centurions;  to  take  their  superior's  place  if  he  fell 
in  battle,  or  was  disabled  or  ill,  and  to  assist  him  with  his 
routine  duties.  They  correspond  more  or  less  to  the  cor- 
porals of  modern  armies.  (See  also  NOTE  D.) 


NOTES  TO  ANDIVIUS  HEDULIO 

G.     SPINA 

The  stone  wall,  platform,  or  long  narrow  structure  down 
the  middle  of  the  arena  of  a  Roman  circus,  dividing  its  race- 
course into  half  laps.  Along  it  the  teams  tore  at  top  speed, 
for  the  short  turns  about  its  rounded  ends  their  drivers 
reined  them  in.  The  spina  was  about  660  feet  long.  It 
varied  from  a  low  wall  to  a  gorgeous  and  complicated  series 
of  structures. 

H.    ERGASTULUM 

A  hard-labor  prison,  whether  belonging  to  a  private  per- 
son, company  or  municipality,  usually  below  ground-level, 
for  criminal,  dangerous,  unmanageable  or  runaway  slaves. 

J.     COMMODUS  AS  AN  ATHLETE 

Even  more  than  Babe  Ruth  at  baseball  Commodus  was  a 
wonder  at  beast-killing  in  the  amphitheater.  Dio  Cassius, 
who,  being  a  senator,  looked  on  from  a  front  seat,  says 
(LXXII,  18.)  that  he  killed  a  hundred  bears  in  one  day. 
Herodian,  who  grew  up  with  men  who  had  known  Commodus 
and  had  been  spectators  of  his  prowess,  says  (I;  15;  3,  4,  5, 
6.)  that  when  he  speared  lions  and  leopards  no  one  saw  a  sec- 
ond javelin  cast  nor  any  wound  not  fatal,  that  he  sent  his  dart 
at  will  through  the  forehead  or  the  heart  of  an  animal  rushing 
at  top  speed  and  that  his  missile  never  struck  any  part  of  a 
beast  except  so  as  both  to  wound  and  kill.  Hurling  his 
javelins  from  a  distance  he  killed  a  hundred  lions  let  out  of 
the  crypts  of  the  Colosseum  with  precisely  the  same  number 
of  spear-casts,  no  dart  missing  its  mark. 


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